Save Me
by angelic1
Summary: A new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris’ nervewrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret.
1. Getting Into the Swing of Things

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narcoleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 1: Getting Into the Swing of Things 

[ Rory ] 

I sighed as I placed the cardboard box down onto a desk in the small office room. Everything was finally coming into place. Paris and I had done it; we had just begun moving into our own office, our new law firm. I sat down on the edge of the desk and looked around the small space, remembering how it all started… Becoming a lawyer had been a dream for Paris since the beginning, with her neurotic spunk and energy, it was no surprise that she wanted to make a career out of arguing with others. As for me, I never even thought about becoming a lawyer, my heart had always been set on becoming a journalist. I wanted to express myself through my writing rather than through verbal means. 

At the beginning of university I had majored in Journalism but as time passed, somehow while helping Paris study for her law exams and finals I found myself roped into this whole new world, a world that revolved around law. It was ridiculous at first but I started to enjoy law. And when Paris suggested that I change majors so that we could continue with our 'life journey', I was a little hesitant but then I gave in. I knew it didn't make sense but somewhere and somehow I felt that this was the right choice for me. I mean, I could always go back to school and pursue a career in Journalism later, right now my calling was in becoming a lawyer. Anyway, life never really makes any sense because hadn't my heart always been set on going to Harvard and hear I am at Yale… 

"Rory, could you move those boxes off my desk so I can set up our new phone?" asked an annoyed Paris as she rushed into the office. 

I smiled as I looked up at her, remembering how Paris had pleaded with me to set up our own practice even though we weren't going to finish law school until May, which ends in two weeks and then after that we still had to prepare for the bar exam in June. But Paris had been persistent and had said that if we were going to succeed then we needed to be ahead of everyone. 

"So, what do you think? Gellar & Gilmore." Said Paris, breaking into my thoughts. I got up from the desk and stood beside Paris as we took in the whole room. It was finally ours. 

"Sounds good," I said, smiling at her. 

"Or, if you like Gilmore & Gellar better, but I thought alphabetically would be a lot more sensible and it sounds better, I mean we want an eye catching name but not too eye catching that people think that we're under qualified and incompetent…" rambled Paris, pacing around the office room. I took her arm and tried to calm her down. 

"Paris, it's fine. Gellar & Gilmore is perfect." I said. Paris looked up at me, calming down a little bit. 

"Are you sure?" she asked. I nodded. She slumped down her shoulders and loosened up a bit. 

"Okay, then it's settled. Now, I'll have my desk here and your desk will be by the window, near the filing cabinets. We can buy some nice furniture, but none of that trendy stuff, we want to be professional." She said, looking at me pointedly. I gave her an innocent look and nodded. 

"Yes, no trendy furniture." I said, pretending to make a note of everything she said. I stifled a laugh as I watched her begin the pacing again as she sternly commanded the rules of the office. 

"… and before you know it, we'll have our office up and running." She finished as she went to sit down behind her desk. I took this as a cue to go to my own desk, so I went over to the window and sat behind my own. 

"Rory, you know what else we need?" asked Paris, as she spun out of her desk chair and started taking a few boxes to the filing cabinets. 

"What?" I asked as I watched her excitedly open the drawers. 

"Clients! Files, accounts…" she replied. I looked at her, furrowing my eyebrows slightly. 

"Umm… Paris, we haven't even written the bar yet, how can we possibly have client? We're not lawyers yet." I asked. 

"See, not yet but we will be lawyers. It is never too early. There's no rule that states that we can't have clients. Just as long as we don't practice law then we're not breaking any rules. We need to be prepared for our future. Come on Rory, be ahead of the game!" exclaimed Paris, slamming her hand onto my desk. I rolled my eyes at her. 

"Don't tell me you're going to start chasing ambulances now?" I joked. Paris looked at me seriously. 

"Of course not, ambulances are too hectic and the patients are too concentrated on their 'injuries' to actually pay attention to anything except themselves. I'm much more professional then that. Chasing ambulances?" scoffed Paris. I looked at her amused. 

"So then what method of acquiring clients are you going to employ?" I asked, trying to hide my laughter. 

"See I will be perusing the hospitals and gaining the confidences of helpless victims, making sure that I can provide them with efficient care and then sign up clients." Said Paris, seriously. I raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, I see, very professional." I replied, nodding my head. Paris shot me a look. 

"Paris, can't we just wait for clients to come to us?" I proposed. 

"This is a tough world, if you want to get something done, you have to do it yourself. Get the dirt, even if it means hanging around the hospitals." Uttered Paris. I sat back in my desk chair and sighed, how did I get myself into this? 

* Comment and replies will be greatly appreciated. 


	2. Warning Sign

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narocleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 2: Warning Sign 

**[ Rory ] **

Paris and I had finally graduated from law school and our office was beginning to look really good. I was sitting at my desk peacefully studying for the bar exam when Paris busted into the office, flinging the door open. 

"I've got my first client!" cried Paris as she set down her briefcase with a slam onto my desk. I jumped from my chair, startled by the sudden outburst. 

"A client?" I asked, a little surprised. I mean I knew that Paris was very persistent and usually never gives up when she wants something but it was kind of fast. It had only been a week since graduation and she already had a client. 

"I was at the Connecticut Memorial Hospital and I found this man who just suffered a car crash. He was completely bandaged, a real wreck. So, I was in his hospital room and I questioned him on the accident and told him to stay away from his insurance company and then I promised a huge settlement." Said Paris proudly, as she took out some files. 

"But Paris, you can't make a false promise like that, you haven't even had one case yet." I cried, putting down my textbook. 

"Rory, I read his accident report, I went through all the procedures, and we'll be fine. His case is not that complicated." She assured me. I looked at her a little skeptical. 

"Remember Rory, we have to sell our product. Give them some bait to reel in our first clients. Once we get those clients we'll be more experienced then we can start going at the big cases. I mean I was kind of hoping of starting off my career with one of those huge cases like one for those giant corporations but with my lack of experience I highly doubt that they'd hire me as one of their lawyers. So I guess we'll have to start with these measly cases." Said Paris, putting the new file in the filing cabinet. She smiled at the new file and I relaxed. 

"Congratulations on your first client, Paris." I said, smiling warmly at her. Paris looked over at me and smiled too. 

"Thanks Rory. Oh, I almost forgot, remember when we were talking about printing an advertisement for our law firm in the newspaper? Well, I sent this to the Hartford Herald this morning." Said Paris, running to her briefcase and pulling out a folder. She handed me a large piece of paper. I took it and read the advertisement. It was very professional looking with the words 'Gellar & Gilmore' at the top. It looked great. 

"Paris, it's amazing, I can't believe you got the Hartford Herald to print it." I said, setting the paper down. 

"I have my ways. Actually I ran into your grandfather and he pulled some strings." She said, and then she snapped her fingers, remembering something. 

"That remind me, I should call Richard later to thank him," said Paris, as she went behind her desk and started pulling out more folders from her desk. "So, what have you bee doing all day?" she asked me. 

"Studying for the bar," I replied as I got up to pour myself another cup of coffee. 

"Yeah, I've been studying like mad all last night." Replied Paris. I looked at her more carefully and now noticed the bags under her eyes. 

"Paris, did you sleep last night?" I asked, walking over to her desk. 

"No, I had too much to do," she replied, not looking up from her papers. 

"You should have slept Paris, you can't work yourself like this. You need to calm down, I mean we don't need clients yet." I told her. Paris shook her head. 

"We need the clients, Rory. You didn't see the competition out at the hospital, I'm beginning to think we're behind." Cried Paris, frustrated. 

"But this isn't healthy!" I cried. Paris continued to furiously write. I looked at her, shaking my head. When Paris was this determined, there was no stopping her. 

"I'm going to go to the library and study, do you need anything?" I asked as I went to my desk to pick up my books. I didn't think I could study in there with Paris all tense like that. 

"No, I don't need anything." She replied, still not looking up from her work. 

"Ok, I'm going to go now," I said softly as I opened the office door.

"Hey, Rory, you know if you're going to go study, why don't you go to the hospital? I mean everyone there is already half dead, real quiet, you know?" suggested Paris, finally looking up from her desk. I looked at her, frowning. 

"That was a little morbid." I said. 

"I'm just saying you might find some clients while you're studying." Said Paris. I shrugged. 

"Ok." I replied, shaking my head again. Paris was definitely going insane. 

*** 

Curiously, I headed over to Connecticut Memorial Hospital to see the atmosphere and to find out whether or not there really were other lawyers chasing clients or if it was only Paris who was insane enough to pester these poor people. I walked into the somber hospital and looked around. The walls were painted a dull pale blue-green and a sterile smell traveled through the halls. There was an information desk in the main lobby and a gift shop near by. Suddenly I noticed the little cafeteria near the lobby, beside the waiting room. The cafeteria looked pretty decent, kind of like a café. I walked in the cafeteria and looked around, it was pretty empty with only a few patients sitting at random tables eating their meals. It was a perfect place to study. I walked over to the small steps that led to a little raised sitting area in the back. I set down my bag and books on the table in the corner and began my studying. 

After an hour and a half of studying and a few cups of coffee, I looked up when I heard a sudden coughing on the lower sitting level. Sitting below me was a young man with dark brown hair, wearing only a hospital gown and his back towards me. He was sitting in a wheelchair and his arm was wrapped in white plaster, obviously broken or sprained. There was something so familiar about him but I shrugged it off and continued studying. 

**[ Dean ] **

I sighed as I looked at the food in front of me. Hospital food. If only I was at home with a nice cooked meal instead of this plastic meatloaf and soggy Jello. I realize it had come to this, as I looked down at my bandaged arm and injured knee… 

It all started when I married Lindsey, a few years ago after graduating high school. Our marriage had started out being like a storybook, two teenagers in love and married. At first everything had been fine, we both attended Connecticut State and we lived pretty happily. Taylor at Doose's Market promoted me to co-manager and Lindsey worked at the Chat Club. We earned a fair living and soon we rented an apartment and things were beginning to look bright for us. A few years into our marriage, I had to quit my job at Doose's to find something that was more stable to provide for Lindsey because I couldn't be a stock boy and co-manager at Doose's forever. So my dad's friend helped me get a job at an insurance agency and that's when everything changed. Lindsey and I had always been glued to the hip since we got married but with this new job it wasn't like she could drop in like she had when I worked at Doose's. Then Lindsey started getting these horrible headaches where she'd become really out of control and jealous. I remember once when she stopped by the agency and saw me talking to one of my female co-workers and when we got home she had the worst temper tantrum. She started throwing things around and began screaming at me. I apologized profusely until she calmed down. But as time passed, her headaches became worse and then she stopped throwing things around but started throwing things at me. I didn't know what to do. She would take my hockey stick and beat me until she would break down into a fit of tears. I wanted to get help for her but she refused… and now here I am sitting, bandaged in the cafeteria of a hospital, eating my dinner. 

How did it come to this? Who would believe this? I guy as tall as I am being beat up and abused by his wife? At first I thought that I must have done something wrong to her, that's why she was so angry and hopefully it would all go away but things just became worse. I never even dared to fight back because living in my house with so many sisters, I knew never to hit a girl but in turn it is me who's getting hurt. But what could I do now? No one's going to believe my story, how could anyone believe a sweet girl like Lindsey would ever do this? No one. 

I sat back in my wheelchair and pushed the lumpy meatloaf around on my plate with my fork, when a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair walked passed my table and went towards the counter to order a cup of coffee. There was something so familiar in her walk the way her slim shoulder curved when she swung her arms. I sat up straighter. 

"Rory?" I called out; unsure if it could possibly be Rory Gilmore. 

**[ Rory ] **

I heard my name and turned around to face the voice and my jaw-dropped. 

"Dean?" I cried, dropping my empty paper coffee cup onto the floor. I quickly picked it up and approached him. It had been years since I'd seen him. The last time had been the summer of my first year at Yale. 

"Dean, what are you doing here?" I asked, smiling then my smile faded when I looked at him more carefully. His brown hair was a mess, his face was tired and had some stubble and a bandage was fixed across his forehead. He sat on a wheelchair wearing only a hospital gown, his knee bandaged and his arm in a cast. 

"Oh my gosh, what happened?" I asked, kneeling down beside him. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a soft laugh. 

"Oh, you know the sports and stuff. I got hurt playing hockey," he said gently shrugging. 

"Does it hurt a lot?" I asked, concerned. It looked a little too severe to be just a sports injury but since I wasn't a sports fan, what did I know anyway? 

"Wait, hockey injury? But it's summer," I asked, my brows furrowing. 

"You know, indoor rinks?" he said with a chuckle. I laughed too. 

"So, are you going to sit down or do you prefer hanging out with the dust on the floor?" he joked, pointing to the chair across from him. 

"Actually the view from here's pretty interesting I said," I replied dusting my hands and clothes as I got up and sat down on the chair. 

"So, wow, it's been a while hasn't it?" he asked, smiling at me. "Tell me everything that you've been doing lately." He said, as he pushed aside his plate of plastic looking food. 

"Well, I just finished law school and Paris and I just opened our own law firm." I said, leaning on the table. 

"Law school? What happened to your dreams about becoming a journalist? Wait, let me guess, Paris got you into this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"I did the journalism thing at the beginning but Paris kind of got me into law. I mean we I'm not really a lawyer yet because I haven't written the bar yet but I guess that's what I'm doing. I know it sounds crazy but I kind of like it. And it's not like I've completely abandoned journalism. I still want to travel and write but I'll do that later." I said. Dean smiled at me knowingly. 

"You know, that's what I admire about you. You always have some direction and you're so sure about what you're doing and what you're going to do," he said, looking me in the eyes. I blushed. 

"What about you? What have you been doing? I mean you're the one who has direction. At 18 you knew you wanted to get married." I exclaimed. Suddenly Dean's face clouded over and then he shrugged it off. 

"It's kind of different from your ambition." He said softly. I looked at him carefully. 

"Yeah, but you knew it was the right decision in your heart and I admire you for doing something so passionate as that." I replied. "So, are you still working at Doose's?" 

"Oh no, I'm working at an insurance agency right now. Doose's just wasn't enough to provide for, you know, everything." He replied, looking away a little distant. 

"I never thought of you as the insurance type but I guess we're all full of surprises. Maybe you should talk to my grandfather about it since he knows all about the business and stuff." I teased. Dean laughed. 

"I'm sure he'd just love that," he said, rolling his eyes. 

"Come on, grandpa was beginning to really like you after you expertly built me that car." I said, as I nudged his arm. Dean laughed. 

"Yeah, we were beginning to become best friends," replied Dean with a chuckle. 

It was so nice to see Dean after all this time; something so familiar and comforting about him but there was also something about him that was very different. He had this sad air that was ever present even when he laughed. This definitely was not there before. 

**[ Dean ] **

Somehow, seeing Rory in front of me again made everything feel so surreal. I hadn't seen her for so long and here she was smiling at me and for once I felt like I had gone back into time and I was sixteen all over again without a care in the world. It had been difficult when we first broke up and the awkwardness of it all and then when she didn't come to my wedding it was a little hurtful but I've gotten over looked that. Now it felt like Rory and I had really become friends even though we hadn't seen each other for so long. Maybe this time away from each other gave us what we needed to grow up. It was nice to see our friendship at this level. 

"Wow, it's 8:00PM, I better head back to the office and make sure Paris gets home and sleeps or else she'll do something drastic." Said Rory, as she got up from her chair. I looked up at her and smiled. 

"It must be quite a adventure working with Paris," I laughed, then I looked over at the clock in the corner of the cafeteria, Rory was right, it was 8 o'clock. Lindsey was going to come and pick me up now. "So, umm, maybe you should hurry, Paris might worry that you've been gone so long," I said lamely. Rory looked at me then laughed. 

"Paris isn't that caring, and why are you hustling me? You're acting like a boy who has sneaked his girlfriend in his bedroom." She joked as she picked up her empty cup and my dinner tray to dump into the garbage. 

"Very funny," I said, pretending to laugh. If Lindsey saw Rory things might get ugly. From the start Lindsey had always been a little jealous of Rory even though I've been telling her that things between us were over. I wasn't sure if I wanted Rory to see Lindsey either, things would be too weird. 

"Ok, I'm going. It was nice to see you again Dean," said Rory as she bent over to give me a hug. "Maybe you and Lindsey could come and visit me at the office…" 

"Dean?" cried a voice. Speak of the devil, it was Lindsey and she was standing in front of us. 

"Lindsey, you're here." I said weakly. Rory stood up and smiled sweetly at Lindsey. 

"Hey Lindsey," she said cheerful as she walked over to Lindsey. 

"Oh, umm… Rory," said Lindsey, looking at her suspiciously. 

"I was just eating dinner and Rory was sitting over there studying and we kind of ran into each other." I said quickly to Lindsey. She tried to smile at Rory. 

"Oh, well Dean you need to get to your room and rest." She replied, slightly pushing Rory aside to get to my wheelchair to wheel me towards my room. 

"Umm… well, I'll see you guys later," said Rory, as she looked at us awkwardly. 

"Bye," I said and Lindsey forcefully waved goodbye.

* Comment and replies would be greatly appreciated


	3. Studying, Rubber Mac&Cheese and Paris

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narocleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 3: Studying, Rubber Mac&Cheese and Paris

**[ Rory ] **

I walked back to the office, deciding that the nice fresh air would do me some good. As I carried my bag over one shoulder I thought about the encounter with Dean and then the awkward arrival of Lindsey. I had known Lindsey briefly at Stars Hollow High and I remember how nice she had been, like the time she bought me a magnet of Mark Twain's head that I really wanted and then she wouldn't even let me pay her back. Even though she was a nice person, I still didn't know enough about her to say whether or not I considered her my friend. But, if she makes Dean happy, that's all that counts. I remember how happy they had been coming out of the church on their wedding day as I stood watching from afar. It had been wounding to know that Dean had moved on and had found love so quickly after we broke up, while my love life only continued to suffer but I was happy for him. Still, I had this feeling that Lindsey didn't like me very much, she just seemed a little too eager to take Dean back to his room. But then again, he was injured and I'm sure she just wanted him to get a lot of rest to recuperate. 

I finally arrived at the office, so I dug out my key from my bag and went inside only to find Paris still scribbling frantically on some papers. 

"Hey Paris," I said as I went over to my desk to put down my bag. 

"Rory?" she mumbled, with her eyes still glued to the papers. 

"Paris, come on. It's almost 9 o'clock, you need to stop working and go home to get some rest. If you keep this up you'll fail the bar exam," I teased. 

At the mention of failing the bar exam Paris' head jolted up as she dropped her pen onto the table.  


"Oh my gosh, I have to study for the bar," she cried, panic written on her face. I ran to her side. 

"Paris, relax we have a few of weeks left until the bar, I was only kidding about you failing. Just calm down a little." I said, taking her folders and papers and shoved then into her desk drawer. 

"Rory, I've been so busy with this new client today I haven't studied for the bar since last night. I can't fail the bar! If I fail the bar I'll have to wait until next year to take it again." She said, horror in her eyes. 

"Paris, you're not going to fail!" I cried. 

"And my first client, if I can't do his case he'll tell everyone how incompetent I am and then I'll never be able to show my face ever again because everyone will know to steer clear of Paris Gellar, loser lawyer who can't even pass the bar exam." Cried Paris distressed. 

I felt like kicking myself for bringing up the bar. 

"Paris, get a hold of yourself! Ok, you're going to go home and get a good night's sleep and I'm going to come over tomorrow morning, pick you up and then we'll go to the library and study for the bar together. All right? You are not going to fail, I won't let you." I reassured her, giving her a pat on the back. Paris looked skeptical, but gently nodded. 

"But what if…" she blurted but I shot her a look and she quieted down. 

**[ Dean ] **

When we got to my hospital room Lindsey helped me into my bed then she fluffed my pillows and tucked me in. 

"So, how was work today?" I asked, smiling at her. She started rearranging the items on my bedside night table. 

"Oh, just the usual. People came into the store and bought some cat oven mitts and whatnot," she said, refusing to look at me. I sighed. Suddenly, she came and sat on the edge of my bed, beside me. We sat there in complete silence until she finally looked at me. 

"So, what were you and Rory doing?" she asked innocently, fiddling with the bed sheets. I knew that she'd been dying to ask me this the minute she saw Rory. 

"Rory was studying and I was having my dinner. We hadn't even noticed each other's presence most of the time. All we did was talk, that's it." I explained. Lindsey looked at me carefully in the eyes as though she wanted to detect whether or not I was lying to her. 

"I swear, that's all," I told her again. Still not smiling, she moved closer towards me and took my hand. 

"Dean, I'm sorry. It's just that you know, I can't help but get jealous sometimes. I love you and the thought of someone else taking you away from me just kills me inside." She said, stroking my hand. 

"Lindsey, don't worry. Rory and I are just friends." I assured her, but she still refused to believe it. 

"I should get home," she said as she leaned in and kissed me. 

"Bye," I said softly as she picked up her jacket and left the room, closing the door behind her. I sank back onto my pillows. 

Things were so tense between us; it had been like this for a long time now. If only things could be the way they were when we had first gotten married. I shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around my body as the horrifying images came back. I closed my eyes and the events of the past few days flooded back into my mind… 

I had come home from work, bringing daisies for Lindsey, knowing how much she loved them. I was in a good mood but when I came into our bedroom she was on the floor, distraught. She was crying saying that she had seen me with _her_. I had no idea what she was talking about only until I recalled having lunch with a few co-workers at a restaurant near work. I had tried to explain but Lindsey, yet again, refused to listen. She had gone into the living room and started to knock over some of the furniture and objects that were at arms reach. Suddenly she grabbed the lamp. I had tried to take it away from her but she was too quick and she had swung it at my knee. Taking one of the shards of ceramic she aimed at my face, luckily I had swatted her hand in time before she could do much damage and I was left with only a gash on my forehead. I shuddered remembering the torture. The abuse continued when finally my arm had snapped, Lindsey had called the ambulance saying that I had fallen down the stairs. 

When the ambulance and the paramedics came and took me away to the hospital, it was as though Lindsey had become another person, she was the Lindsey I had married and loved. She suddenly had tears running down her face, concern written over her face as she told me that she loved me and wanted me to be better again. 

I rolled over in bed, biting my lip in pain as I took my hand to the bandaged knee, I had almost forgotten about it and didn't realize that it still hurt to move it. I held tightly onto one of the pillows and tried to sleep. 

**[ Rory ] **

After going by the Gellar residence in my Jeep to pick up Paris, I drove us to the library. Paris looked much better this morning; her blonde hair brushed and pulled back in a neat ponytail and her face brighter. She wasn't as agitated as she was the night before. 

"Feeling better?" I asked her as we neared the library. 

"Much better." She replied as I parked the car into the library parking lot. 

"Ok, so what do you want to cover first?" I asked as we got out of the car and walked into the library. Paris immediately pulled out a long checklist with all the categories of the exam written in neat rows, with every possible topic on it. I rolled my eyes. Paris was still Paris. 

"Before going to bed I made this list of all the material that could be on the exam, all the topics we covered and everything relevant that would be even considered." She said sternly. "We have a total of 18 categories to study, if we divide our time efficiently we should be able to cover all the categories to leave us with a week before the exam to review everything again." Said Paris as we found a table in the corner area of the library away from most of the other people studying or reading there. I saw the determination in her face and knew that with the way things were already going, we were both going to ace this exam. 

"Ok, so what's on the top of the list?" I asked as we sat down and started cracking open the books. 

*** 

We'd been studying for 6 straight hours and we were due for a break. I was exhausted; I looked over at Paris who was still intently hovered over the _Elton Bar Review. _I checked my watch it was 1:00PM. I rubbed my eyes and quietly stood up to stretch and grabbed some money out of my bag. 

"Psst, Paris." I whispered. Paris looked up. 

"Where are you going? We should start on civil litigation now," said Paris, furrowing her brows. 

"We've been studying for the last six hours, I think we could use a little break." I told her. 

"Well, we still have a lot to do." She said as she continued flipping through the huge textbook. 

"I'm going to go get a cup of coffee, do you want anything?" I asked. She shook her head and I left the library as she continued studying. 

As I walked out of the library I let out a breath of air, it was so stuffy in there and it was nice to see the bright sun hitting against my face as I walked down the street. I hoped that Paris wasn't going to over study because that would only cause her even more stress and worse, she might panic and forget everything while writing the exam. I shrugged off the thought as I wandered and looked at the shops around me. Suddenly I noticed the Connecticut Memorial Hospital across the street and remembered the cafeteria. The coffee was pretty decent. I quickly crossed the street and entered the hospital. 

As I entered the cafeteria I looked around and saw that it was pretty much empty as it had been the day before. 

**[ Dean ] **

I sat at my usual spot in the cafeteria again, finishing up my lunch. I looked in disgust at the pasty macaroni and cheese and the stale cookie on my plate. Lindsey had come in this morning and took me to breakfast before going to work then I spent most of the morning watching TV from my hospital bed. It had been extremely boring; luckily I was going to leave tomorrow morning. I looked around for the hospital aid that said he'd come by to wheel me back to my room but he still hadn't arrived. 

"Hey Dean," said a voice, I looked up and smiled to see Rory's bright face. 

"Hey, what do I owe the honour of seeing you two days in a row?" I asked, motioning her to sit down. 

"I can't stay for too long, Paris and I are studying for the bar at the library." She said, sitting down beside me. 

"Ah, and you had to fuel up?" I teased, pointing to her large coffee. She laughed. 

"Yeah, we've been studying for six hours straight and Paris still doesn't want to take a break yet," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. 

"Paris has always been very… driven," I said, running my hand through my hair. 

"Oh yes, very." She replied, smiling. "I keep telling her to relax more but she's still straining herself." 

"Well, just try your best. I don't think Paris is easily persuaded when she has her mind set on something." I chuckled as I remembered Paris and her blazing eyes as she dictated the group when Rory had brought her group to Stars Hollow to rehearse for _Romeo & Juliet._

"So, have you decided what kind of lawyer you want to be?" I asked, casually. 

"Umm, I'm not really sure yet but I think that I wouldn't mind spending time in the trial and do court work." She said, playing with the napkin on the table. 

"Really? Like defending big corporations and companies?" I asked, curiously. 

"I'm not too sure, I think that's something Paris would like to do," said Rory, thinking intently as though she never thought about this before. 

"How about representing criminals?" I continued. 

"Well, they are entitled to a good defense but most aren't capable to pay for a private lawyer," she said, resting her chin in her hand as she propped her elbow on the table. 

"Then how about rapists and child molesters?" 

"No," she said, frowning and a look of disgust traveled to her face. 

"Domestic abuse, men or women who beat their spouses?" I asked softly. 

"Never, that's just wrong." She said, looking a little uncomfortable. She looked me straight in the eyes, questioningly. 

"So, you don't really want to do criminal work," I said, puling away from her gaze. 

"I think I'll concentrate on non-criminal litigation, you know, lawsuits, divorces and that type of work," she said. I nodded. 

**[ Rory ] **

I looked at Dean and wondered where all this interest in law came from. It was down right odd and I felt a little uncomfortable as he mentioned the different criminals. There was something about the way he asked the questions, which made me even more curious as to why he brought up this whole topic. He usually isn't the type to bring up something so dark and depressing. 

"So, when are you going to be released to go home?" I asked, trying to change the subject, 

"Tomorrow morning," he replied. 

"I bet you're excited," I said, trying to cheer him up. 

"Anything to get away from the food." He said with a laugh as he poked the supposed macaroni and cheese. Actually it was looking a lot like pale yellow rubber. 

"That's disgusting," I said, as he pushed the plate towards me. "Dean, get that away from me!" I cried, laughing, 

"Come on, Rory, its good." He joked, picking up a piece with his fork and waving it at me. 

"Don't you dare," I cried, giggling. Dean put the yellow rubber back on the plate and calmed down. "Hey, if you want I can go get you some nice take out and sneak it to your room." I suggested. 

"Ah, Rory my underhanded felon, smuggling in the goods," he said in a deep voice. I looked at him, shaking my head as I laughed. 

"Seeing how you're suffering, I think it's my duty to serve you," I said, giving him a salute. 

"Well, just as long as you don't cook it yourself, because I'd rather withstand their meatloaf than eat your crazy concoctions." He said, shuddering. 

"Dean, I'm not _that_ bad," I moaned, crossing my arms over my chest, pretending to be upset. 

"Ok, ok, you're not that bad." He said, putting his hands up, surrendering. 

"Well, I'm going to go and get back to studying with Paris, I'll see you later," I said, picking up my empty cup and throwing it in my trash. As if on cue, a hospital aid approached us. 

"Yeah, I'll see you later, umm… here, ok?" he said. 

"Sure," I said as I watched the hospital aid wheel him away. 

____________________________________________

* Comment and replies would be greatly appreciated.


	4. See Me Crumple and Fall onto my Face

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narocleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 4: See Me Crumple and Fall onto my Face 

**[ Rory ] **

When I came back to the library, Paris was in the exact same place she had been when I left her, her face was still stuck in a thick textbook and she was completely focused on her task. I quietly slipped into my seat and continued to study. 

After another 4 hours of studying, I looked over at Paris and saw the tiredness in her eyes. I knew she needed to stop. I gently closed my textbook and pushed aside my notes and papers. 

"Psst, Paris." I whispered, leaning on the table. She looked up. 

"Yeah," she replied, stifling a yawn. 

"It's 5:00PM, I think we should take another break and maybe get something to eat. You especially need to take a break. You've been at it for 10 hours straight." I said. Paris paused and looked at her watch and hesitantly nodded. 

"Fine," she said, as she started to pack away her notes and books. "But after a short break, we're going right back to studying." She ordered. 

"Fine with me, but I think we'll have to relocate. The library closes at 7:00PM." I pointed out. Paris stopped and thought for a moment. 

"Well, where do you want to go then?" she asked. 

"Anywhere is fine with me, how about your place?" I suggested. She nodded. 

After picking up all our things and putting them in the Jeep we wandered down the street looking for a nice place to eat. The sun was still shining but the heat had cooled down a little. I looked over at Paris as she smiled to herself, taking in the nice early evening. I smiled; content that Paris was loosening up. As we passed by the Connecticut Memorial Hospital I remembered my promise to Dean about the food. I thought maybe I could ask him if he had a preference in what he wanted to eat. 

"Hey Paris, can we stop at the hospital? I want to ask Dean what he wants for dinner." I said, slowing down as we stood in front of the hospital. Paris stopped walking and looked at me perplexed. 

"Dean? As in the extremely tall prince charming, Dean?" she asked, an eyebrow raising. I realized I hadn't told her about the run in with Dean yet. 

"Oh, I ran into Dean yesterday," I explained. 

"So how was the precious Prince William, anyway?" she asked, slightly amused. 

"Not too good," I said then I explained about his injuries. 

"Hmm… sports injuries? I think I smell a lawsuit waiting to happen," she said, pondering the information I had just recounted to her. 

"Paris, " I warned, rolling my eyes. 

"Rory, this could be your opportunity." She said as if it was the most obvious idea. 

"I don't think Dean wants to sue anyone and I don't think it's like that. The way he said it, it sounded like he just had a regular accident." I exclaimed. Paris shook her head. 

"I want to have a talk with Dean, maybe he's hiding something." Said Paris. I looked at her seeing that all sorts of ideas were already forming in her head. 

"Lets just go inside." I said, walking into the hospital that was becoming familiar now. We went straight to the cafeteria. I stepped in first and looked around at the empty tables but Dean wasn't there. 

"He's not here," I said to Paris. I turned around to face her but she had disappeared and was no longer beside me. 

"Paris?" I called out, leaving the cafeteria. Suddenly I noticed her blonde ponytail heading towards the halls that lead to all the patients' rooms. I rolled my eyes. Paris was still on the prowl for more clients. I followed after her. 

"Paris," I called out again, she spun around. 

"I just want to see if there's anything good," she said, carefully looking into at all the rooms we passed. 

"Umm, I'm just going to get a cup of coffee," I said. Paris nodded and I turned around and went back to the cafeteria. 

I thought it was kind of ridiculous to stalk clients like that but if Paris wanted to do that then I was fine with it. I mean it wasn't like I could stop her anyhow. I stepped into the cafeteria again and ordered a cup of coffee then left the hospital for some fresh air. Stepping outside the entrance I noticed a little pathway on the side. Hmm… I wondered as I followed the path. The path led to a little terrace and I noticed a few patients taking little strolls with hospital workers. I guessed this was where patients could come outside and get a little air from their somber hospital rooms. I sipped on my coffee and strolled along the path, taking in the green shrubbery and the few blossoms that were surrounding me. It wasn't a half bad place to relax. 

**[ Dean ] **

I had been lying in my hospital bed reading a National Geographic magazine that was in the room when Lindsey had come in. It was a surprise since she usually got out of work at around 7:30PM and it was 5:00PM now. I put down the magazine. 

"Lindsey, what are you doing here?" I asked, sitting up and smiling at her. 

"Oh, just checking up on you." She said, her face not smiling. I knew something was wrong. 

"Umm, but don't you have work?" I asked, my heart beginning to beat faster, wondering what I had done for her to feel so distrusting. 

"Well, I told Jen it was an emergency. I think that visiting my injured husband is a worthy emergency," she asked, her eyes fixed on me. 

"I guess so," I said nervously. 

"Honey, you've been cooped up in this room all day, how about I take you outside for some air?" she said sweetly, but her face was still so indifferent and bland. I was suspecting something wasn't right but I held my tongue. 

"Sure," I said, taking a deep breath. Lindsey helped me move into my wheelchair and hung up her jacket then she wheeled me out of the room. We wheeled passed a nurse and Lindsey pasted a smile on her face. 

"Hello Mr. And Mrs. Forester," the nurse said, smiling at us. 

"Hello," said Lindsey. I watched as her mood suddenly changed. 

"Mr. Forester are you feeling better?" asked the nurse, looking down at me. I nodded. 

"Yeah, my arm is healing well," I replied. 

"That's good to hear," said the nurse giving me a pat on the shoulder. 

"Yes, he's progressing so well. I'm taking him outside for a little air." Said Lindsey, giving me a warm squeeze in the hand, smiling widely. 

"That seems like a nice idea, enjoy yourselves." Said the nurse then she continued on her way. 

Lindsey's smile disappeared again as she pushed my wheelchair down the hall and outside to the terrace. We wheeled down a path and stopped at a stone table and bench that were located off to one secluded side of the terrace. A hospital assistant came by and asked us if we wanted anything and we ordered two glasses of orange juice. Once he left, Lindsey and I sat in silence again. Finally she looked at me and a look of disdain crossed her face. 

"So, you're feeling better?" she asked. I nodded. 

"What did you do all day?" she continued. I felt like I was being prosecuted. 

"Just lay around the hospital room. Watched a little TV and read," I said with a shrug. 

"How was lunch?" she asked. I shrugged again. 

"The food wasn't particularly great," I said quietly, still curious as to why she was asking these questions as if I had committed a crime. Lindsey still wasn't smiling. 

"Is that all?" she cried. I looked at her oblivious. Suddenly the hospital assistant appeared again and placed two plastic cups of orange juice on the table. Lindsey smiled at him and once he left it was replaced with a scowl. 

"What are you talking about?" I finally asked. 

"Don't play dumb with me. I know Dean, stop lying to me," she cried. I continued to look at her unaware about what she was talking about. 

"Lindsey, what are you talking about? What did I do?" I asked, concerned. 

**[ Rory ] **

As I walked down the path I suddenly noticed Dean and Lindsey sitting to one side of the terrace, talking intently. I walked towards them but when I got closer I realized that Lindsey was apparently angry with Dean for something he did. I decided not to interrupt them and turned around to leave when I heard my name. 

"I saw you with Rory!" cried Lindsey as tears rolled down her face. I froze and hid behind a large bush. What was Lindsey talking about? 

"Lindsey, calm down," pleaded Dean, leaning over from his wheel chair to touch her arm but she pulled it away as if his touch burned her skin. 

"Stop it, I know what I saw. I came after lunch to see you but you were in the cafeteria with Rory," she sobbed. I watched as she hunched over, crying harder. 

"It wasn't what you think," said Dean, trying to convince her but Lindsey's back stiffened as he reached to touch her again. She angrily bolted up from her seat and slapped her cup of orange juice. The cup landed near my foot and juice sprayed all over the table and drenched Dean's face. 

I watched in horror as Dean sat there motionless. 

"Don't do this to me Dean, don't you dare do this to me!" warned Lindsey, her voice rising. Dean continued sitting there, unable to utter a word. 

"Don't you know how much I love you?" she screamed at him. Dean sat there his eyes saddened, his body trembling. He tried to say something but before he could Lindsay suddenly touched her forehead and cried out in pain. 

"These damn headaches!" she cried, sitting back down as she felt the pain surge through her. I watched her bite her lip, tears running down her face. I saw the suffering in her eyes as she looked at Dean. 

"Are you ok Lindsey?" whispered Dean, his eyes welling up with concern. 

Lindsey shook her head 'no' and sat there, shaking. Dean took in a deep breath and tried to move towards her again to comfort her but abruptly Lindsey stood up and hit him in the face. The blow was so hard that I could hear the horrible sound of her fist hitting into the bone of his face. Lindsey's eyes blazed as she looked at Dean in disgust. Dean sat there his hand to his face where Lindsay had hit him. 

"Lindsay, I swear there is nothing going on between me and Rory," he pleaded with her but Lindsay ignored his protest. 

"Stop lying!" she cried angrily as she swung at him 

"But it's the truth," he said, his lips quivering as another blow struck him across the face. 

"I won't let you hurt me Dean, not again," she muttered to herself. With that said, she kicked him in the leg and started to hit him repeated. I watched Dean; he didn't even try to fight back from her abuse. I felt my heart beating fast, what was I suppose to do? I wanted so badly to rush out there and stop her but I knew I couldn't. 

"I'm sorry Lindsey," he cried through the pain. 

"No you're not," she sobbed and then she shoved him and Dean fell off his wheelchair onto the ground, lying there motionless as Lindsey stormed off. As soon as Lindsey was out of sight I ran from the bush and fell to the ground beside him. 

"Dean," I said softly as he lay there, his eyes closed and his face cut and bruised. 

"Rory?" he asked, confused. He slowly opened his eyes. 

"Yes, it's me." I said as I slowly pulled him up. "Someone, help!" I cried, looking around for a hospital aid. We were in a public terrace, how could no one have seen what had just happened I wondered as I looked around. 

"Rory stop," protested Dean, lightly grasping my arm. I looked at him and frowned in confusion. 

"I saw what happened Dean, you need help." I cried, looking into his eyes. 

"I'm fine," he said weakly as tears welled in his eyes. 

"No you're not, I saw everything…" I said as tears rolled down my face. It killed me to see him like this. Now everything made sense, Lindsey's looks, Dean's reluctance to talk about his marriage and the questions that he'd asked earlier. All the pieces were fitting together and I would never have thought that it would be this tragic. I helped him back onto the wheelchair and then knelt down beside him. I wanted to help him. 

"Dean," I said, brushing his hair off his forehead as I stroked his injury. "I'm not going to let this happen to you anymore," I said softly. 

"Rory, I'm scared" he replied, avoiding my eyes. I touched his chin and pulled his face towards me so that he'd look me in the eyes. 

"I know," I whispered then we slowly wheeled towards his room in silence. 

**[ Dean ] **

I trembled inside as Rory wheeled me back to my room. I never thought that anyone would find out, I had hoped that someone would and finally the truth was revealed. I was completely astonished to find Rory by my side when Lindsey had left. I was terrified for Rory because if Lindsey had seen her… I don't want to even think about what she'd do to her. Part of me wanted to just forget about what had just happened because I didn't want Rory to get wrapped into this mess. I would never want to put her life in danger but I knew that Rory was not going to let this shrug off. I knew that Rory was going to try to do anything to stop this because it was in her nature to help a person in need. Even though it was comforting to know that I didn't have to hide this secret from her anymore but at the same time I was ashamed. I was ashamed that the truth was now revealed to her, to let her see the severity of my marriage. What was she thinking now? 

_____________________________________ 

* Comment and replies would be greatly appreciated.


	5. Something Worth Fighting For

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narocleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 5: Something Worth Fighting For…

**[ Dean ] **

"Dean, we need to talk about this," she said after I had settled into my hospital bed. She looked at me with concern, sitting on the side of my bed. 

"Rory, there's nothing to talk about," I replied, trying to ignore the incident. I was still so afraid. 

"Dean, I know that you're scared but you can't let her treat you like this. It's wrong," she said softly, taking my hand. 

"There's nothing I can do," I said as tears rolled down my face. 

"Yes there is, you have to get a divorce. Lindsey can't keep on abusing you," She said finally. I looked at her, shaking my head 'no'. 

"Why not?" cried Rory. I sat there silently, looking out the window as I wiped my tears with one hand. 

"Unless you can tell me something worth fighting for," she asked quietly, moving closer to me. Her eyes looked at me questioningly. 

"There's a part of me that still loves her," I replied. 

**[ Rory ]**

I sat there stunned. Of course it made sense that he loved her but to hear him say the words, I was still surprised. After all the pain he must have endured, to hear him say that he still loved her made me realized that Dean must have been hurt for so long that he'd become confused with the reality of love and what he believed was love. 

"Dean, hurting you and abusing you is not love," I said, my heart aching. 

"I know but…" he started but abruptly stopped, confused with his feelings. 

"You're in love with the Lindsey that you first met a long time ago," I finished for him. He nodded. 

"I just can't give up on the thought that the Lindsey that I first married is still inside of her," he said. I nodded, understanding. 

"I know," I said, softly as my hand softly squeezing his hand. 

Dean couldn't hold his feelings inside any longer as he sobbed and tears just rushed down his face. I leaned in to give him a hug but he pulled me down and I fell onto his chest. He gripped me tightly as he cried and I held on tighter to him, trying to be his shoulder to cry on. As we lay there in silence, my head rested against his rising and falling chest. I could hear his heart beating through the thin material of his hospital gown. We were so close. I hadn't been this close to Dean since we dated and something about it felt so… perfect and complete. I felt strange because as we lay there, I felt as though I could feel every last sentiment he was feeling that instant. I felt like we were connected in a way that was far more intense and passionate that anything I had felt before. I closed my eyes and heard him sniffle as he tried to choke back the tears. I had one hand still on his as we stayed there in the hush of the evening. 

**[ Dean ]**

The warmth rushing through my body from Rory's was all I needed. We were lying there in silence but I felt comforted even without her uttering a single word. I could feel her trying to ease my pain and I knew that the only person who could possibly help me get through this was her. As my tears rolled down my cheeks, she pulled herself closer until my chin rested against her head. Suddenly, forgetting all my troubles for a split second, images of the past flooded back into my mind as I remembered the times where I had been truly happy with Rory. The sweet an innocent love we shared and all it's simplicity. I remembered how I waited by the bus stop after school to see her stepping of the bus in her plaid school uniform. The times she would surprise me at Doose's while I was stocking the can foods. Everything had been so easy back then because our love was so fresh and new, it seemed like nothing could have broken us apart, except… swiftly, my thoughts came back to the present and I was brought back to reality. Rory and I were not together, we were just friends and I was married to Lindsay… 

**[ Rory ] **

I lay with Dean until I felt a soft snore coming from his body and I gently pulled myself away from him. I pulled the sheets closer to him and tucked him in carefully. I watched his sweet face with the light of the moon tenderly dancing across his face as it gently streamed through the hospital window. I brushed the lock of hair that fell on his forehead and kissed him goodnight on the soft spot of skin. He looked so angelic and peaceful. I sighed thinking sadly that it was only in his dreams that he could be safe. I slowly headed out of the room and gently closed the door behind me. 

As I walked down the corridor I suddenly remembered Paris. I ran down towards the lobby to the waiting room and there I found her. Paris was sitting in a chair fast asleep her blond hair tousled and her head falling to one side. I chuckled to myself. It was quite a sight to see the usually frazzled Paris Gellar sleeping like a baby. I looked at my watch and noticed that it was 11:00PM. I decided to go and get the Jeep and come back to pick up Paris. 

*** 

It was the next morning and I was sitting in the office at my desk studying for the bar as usual when Paris entered. 

"Hi Paris," I said with a smile, looking up from my books. 

"Good morning Rory," said Paris cheerfully. I looked at her surprised by her good mood. 

"What? Surprised that I can smile?" asked Paris, glaring at me. I shook my head 'no' and hid a smile. 

"Oh no," I said quickly, looking back into my textbook to prevent myself from laughing. It was so typical of Paris to be suspicious of even the slightest looks. 

"Well, I have good news," said Paris rushing towards my desk and dropping a massive folder onto my desk. I looked at her unsure of what she was talking about. 

"What's this, a new client?" I asked curiously, pointing to the folder with my pen. 

"It's going to be _your _new client." She said pushing the folder closer towards me. 

"What? Paris, you don't have to find me clients, I think I can manage without any until I pass the bar," I said, pushing the folder away from me. 

"I'm trying to do you a favor," she said sternly, pushing it back towards me. 

"I appreciate it but no thanks," I said kindly. 

"Hey, I would love this case but I think Prince William would rather you handle it since you two were the former '_Joanie Loves Chach_i.'" Said Paris, a dull look on her face. 

"What are you talking about? What does Dean have to do with this?" I asked a worried look crossing my face. Paris quickly grabbed the folder and flipped through it. 

"Since you disappeared I went and found the inside scoop that was running through the grapevine with the other lawyers who were chasing clients at the hospital. Apparently there was a little fight in the hospital terrace but nobody knew the whole story except that it involved a young couple. Also, remembering that your precious Dean had some mysterious 'sports' injuries I decided to do some investigating of my own." She said as she found the page she was looking for in the folder. 

"On Friday May 11th late evening, neighbours reported disrupted and sinister noises coming from the Forester household. At midnight police officers arrived at the house to find a distraught Mrs. Forester in the bathroom and a horribly beaten Mr. Forester lying on the living room floor. The police noted this as a potential domestic abuse case and took Mrs. Forester in for questioning. 24 hours later she was released and no charges were brought forth. The case was closed." Said Paris. 

"How can the case be closed? It's obvious that she's the guilty one!" I cried in disbelief that the police did not lock her up right away. 

"Yeah but she'd still have to go to court before they can send her to jail and the word out is that Mr. Forester refused to testify against her." Replied Paris as she closed the folder and set it back onto my desk. 

"And where did you get that?" I asked, nodding towards the folder. 

"I have my ways," she replied with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and my thoughts went back to Dean. 

I sat there, frustrated and pained thinking about Dean. It wasn't fair for him. I knew that Dean was just too kind to testify against Lindsey as well, he was just too afraid to go against her. 

"We have to do something," I cried, upset. 

"The only thing we can do is get Dean to take the matter to court with you as his lawyer," said Paris without a doubt. I shook my head 'no'. 

"Paris, we can't do that to him. He doesn't want to do that, he's afraid of her." I replied, looking down. 

"But Rory, this case could be a goldmine!" cried Paris, throwing up her arms. 

"No," I said, taking the folder and putting it in my drawer. 

**[ Dean ] **

I waited as Lindsey came to my hospital room to pick me up and take me home. I lay in my bed thinking about how Rory had been there for me when I needed her. It meant so much to me to know that I could count on her and trust her with something so terrifying in my life. Suddenly the hospital room door opened and in came Lindsey with a hospital aid behind her. 

"Hi honey," she said as she through her arms around me and gave me a hug and kiss. 

"You can come home now," she said with a smile as the hospital aid helped me into the wheelchair. Actually my leg was getting much better and I didn't really need the wheelchair anymore but Lindsey insisted that I should be wheeled out to the car when we talked this morning over the phone. 

"I'm sure you're glad to be going home," said the hospital aid as I sat in the wheelchair. 

"Sure am," I said, smiling at him as he pushed me out to the front with Lindsey walking beside me. 

"Of course he is. Why wouldn't he want to go home to his wife?" joked Lindsey as the hospital aid chuckled. I slid down in the wheelchair, not looking at either one as we went through the front doors and arrived at Lindsey's car.  
  


**[ Rory ] **

It has been two weeks since I've seen Dean at the hospital and I was getting worried about him. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about him and that night in his room. We hadn't tried calling each other or contacting each other. Even though I wanted to talk to him and just find out whether or not he was ok, I knew that things were far too risking. I knew that if Lindsey found us together again she would hurt him. 

I was sitting in the office as I read through some of Paris' files and cases. So far all of her cases seem to be nothing too complicated for her to handle. I smiled thinking about how happy Paris was going to be once she solves her first case after passing the bar exam. Suddenly I remembered Paris' suggestion that I take Dean and Lindsey's problems to court. I knew in my heart that I could never represent him in this matter. It was just too horrifying and I just didn't want to be a part of it. I mean, I wanted to help him get away from Lindsey but I just didn't think that battling it out in court and making it this huge case is going to make Dean feel any better. Especially since he had said that he still… loved her. My heart broke as I remembered the sting I had felt when he had professed the words. I felt a single stray tear roll down my face and I quickly wiped it with the back of my hand and went back to looking at Paris' files. 

**[ Dean ] **

I had been back at the insurance agency for a week now. Things were still the same at work, just like things were exactly the same at home. Lindsey hadn't been getting upset so often lately but things were still not good between us. I just felt so distant from her. We never talk like we used to and I felt like I didn't know her. Like I didn't know her at all. 

I sat at my desk and looked at the framed photograph of Lindsey and me on our honeymoon. It felt like decades ago since we'd been that happy. I closed my eyes for a moment n frustration and then I took the framed photograph and put it into a drawer. I didn't want to look at it anymore. I didn't want to see what we had been; I just wanted to be happy again. 

I sighed as I tried to concentrate again and resume doing my work but as usual my thoughts drifted back to the one thing that had been keeping me from breaking down these past weeks, Rory. The image of her beautiful and concerned face as we sat in the hospital room alone together that horrible evening still hadn't left my mind. Even though it had been such a terrible event, Rory and I had connected that evening and I was feeling these strange feelings inside. These feelings felt somewhat familiar but foreign to me as well since they feel good and happy which was a feeling I hadn't felt for a long time. I sighed again as I tried with much effort to brush away my thoughts of Rory so I could continue my work. 

______________________________ 

* Comment and replies would be greatly appreciated 


	6. Nobody Said It Was Easy

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narcoleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 6: Nobody Said It Was Easy 

**[ Rory ] **

After a whole morning looking at office supplies and furniture for the office with Paris I was glad to go back to my desk in peace and quiet while Paris went to run an errand. It had been a long morning because Paris had commented on every little thing we saw. She had something to say about everything and it was so hard to decide what we needed now and what we were eventually going to need. Paris was so cautious about everything it was driving me crazy. 

I walked up to our office and grabbed the mail that waited for us in the mail slot. I quickly opened the door and skimmed through the mail, tossing away the junk mail and setting aside the bills. Suddenly I saw a letter with my name written on it. There was no return address. I quickly tore open the envelope and found a clipping for the movie_ Casablanca _showing at the Crown Theater, an old movie theatre in Hartford that showed only the classics. I looked at the clipping curiously until I noticed today's date and the time 9:15PM circled. At the corner of the clipping, in small letters was simply signed _Dean_. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath then I quickly put the clipping into my purse. 

**[ Dean ] **

I went into the living room and looked at Lindsey, sitting on the couch with the TV turned on. I watched her intently while she skimmed through a magazine as the TV continued blaring. I stuck my hands into my pockets as sweat trickled down my neck. Slowly, I walked passed her and headed straight into the kitchen. I could feel her eyes watching me now as I opened the refrigerator door. 

"Lindsey, we're out of milk," I said, as I pulled out the empty carton. 

"Oh, I guess I forgot to pick some up this morning. I can get more tomorrow." she called out. I shut the refrigerator door and then looked at my watch. 8:35PM. 

"Hey, I can go get some now," I said as I re-entered the living room. She looked at me curiously. 

"Oh, you don't have to, I'm going tomorrow." She said. 

"It's no problem, I mean I can get all the stuff we need now, to save you the trip. Anyways, I think I need a little bit of air," I said casually. She looked at me suspiciously. 

"I can come with you," she offered, quickly getting up from the couch. I looked at my hands nervously. 

"Oh, it's all right," I stammered, as I went over to her and gave her a little squeeze on the shoulder. "You stay here and rest since you had such a hard day," I continued, smiling sweetly at her. She didn't look too happy but she agreed and sat back down with her magazine. 

"All right, but be home soon," she warned. I nodded, knowing how serious she was. 

"I'll be out for an hour or so," I said as I grabbed my jacket and practically ran out of the house. 

*** 

I jumped into my car and started speeding out of Stars Hollow towards Hartford. I knew I was risking a lot by doing this but I had to see Rory. It had been weeks since we'd seen each other. I didn't know what other way I could see her except this. I was just so afraid that Lindsey would find out. But I needed to see Rory. I felt like such a wreck without her… 

The first few weeks had been fine at home but then Lindsey started being really possessive again and she started getting her headaches, which only seem to get worse by the day. Every day as soon as I came home from work she would throw about a hundred questions at me until she was satisfied with the answers. But some days she just wouldn't be satisfied and that's when everything would hurt again. That's when she'd lose it and take it all out on me. Luckily for me it hadn't been horrible enough for me to return to the hospital yet. I still had my cuts and bruises but they didn't hurt as much as my heart inside. As the days passed by I realized that my feelings for Lindsey were only a figment of my own imagination, they were the feelings I wanted to feel for her. I had loved her so much but now I felt nothing. I felt numb just thinking about her. I cared about her but I didn't feel love towards her. Mostly, I was afraid of her. She wasn't my wife anymore; she was a monster. 

I pulled into the parking lot of the Crown Theatre and ran up to the ticket booth and bought one for _Casablanca._ I looked at my watch; it was 9:13PM. I swiftly slipped into the dark theatre and looked around for Rory but she wasn't there. I sat down in the second last row of the practically empty movie theatre. I sighed as the movie began. I wasn't sure if she was going to show up but I hoped with all my might that she would. 

**[ Rory ] **

I contemplated whether or not to come to the theatre. Dean meant so much to me but he was also married to Lindsey. Yes it's true that I don't want him to be with her but it also felt wrong for me to see him this way. I didn't want to interfere with them, but I decided to come because I wanted to see him. I just wished it didn't have to be this way. I didn't want to sneak around. I knew that seeing each other this way could only make things worse. But I couldn't help it; I was just so drawn to him. 

I parked my car and headed towards the ticket booth. As I walked into the dim theatre I saw him sitting in the center of the second last row. He was attentively watching the movie as I slid into the empty seat beside him. He looked up at me but we didn't say a word to each other. We just watched the movie. 

I suddenly felt this giddy feeling inside, the one I use to have when we had first met. I was a little nervous sitting there beside him. I looked over at him and saw his handsome profile and his brown hair falling over his blue-green eyes. He still had that funny effect over me that made me stifle a giggle. I smiled to myself thinking about all the awkwardness we had faced when we first met. I remembered all the times I had rambled on and on because he had made me so nervous but here we were, content in each other's presence. I didn't have to say anything, I just had to sit there and feel every feeling pass by. I focused my thoughts back onto the movie when I realized that even though our past had felt like such a perfect time it had ended unhappily and now here we are in the present and it seems like once again we weren't going to live happily ever after. 

**[ Dean ]**

I didn't say a word to her when she had arrived, mostly because I didn't know where to start. We sat there in silence. I tried to focus on the movie but I couldn't help but be captured by the sweet scent of her shampoo. I felt my heart race as I shifted closer towards her. Suddenly I noticed our hands both resting on the armrest, just centimeters apart. I tried to ignore it but unexpectedly she reached over and held mine. I turned and looked at her. She continued looking at the screen, a sad look on her face. I wondered what was wrong but then I smiled when she turned towards me as we stared into each other's eyes. I didn't know what was happening but suddenly our faces grew closer together as I leaned in and softly kissed her. I didn't care any more I just needed to kiss her. She leaned in closer towards me as she kissed me back. Her hands ran through my hair and my hands cupped her face. But our moment of bliss lasted for only a minute and then she pulled away. 

"Dean," she whispered, her eyes sad. 

"What?" I asked, concerned. 

"This is wrong, I mean you and Lindsey are…" she trailed off. I looked at her, hurt. 

"I don't want to talk about her," I replied, turning my gaze back onto the movie screen, letting go of her hand. 

"By being with you I'm putting you in danger," she said, her voice quivering. I shut my eyes for a moment trying to let the pain pass. 

"Rory, don't you know that I know that already?" I cried. I few people in the theatre turned around and looked at me and I quickly lowered my voice. 

"Rory, these past few weeks that's all I've been thinking about. I was thinking about the risk I'm taking and you know what? I'm willing to risk it," I told her. 

"But…" she began but I cut her off. 

"You can't deny this. You feel something for me too. I know it," I pleaded with her. She looked down at the floor. 

"If you didn't care about me then why did you come here?" I asked, confused. 

"Dean, I do care about you but this can't happen." She said softly. I looked at her not wanting to believe what she was saying. 

"Yes it can, it can be what it use to be," I assured her. 

"That was a long time ago," she said, not looking me in the eyes. 

"But there's something here between us, we can't just fight these feelings," I cried. 

"I know, but I can't let you get hurt," she whispered, with a sniffle. 

"I won't. Together we can figure something out," I protested. 

"Dean, I can't…" she said, looking at me sadly as she got up and started out of the theatre. 

"You're the only reason I'm getting through this," I whispered as I sadly watched her disappear through the door. 

**[ Rory ]**

I ran as fast as I could towards my car, I couldn't take it anymore. I was mad at Dean for trying to make me admit that there was something still going on between us but most of all I was mad at myself for trying to deny it to him. I quickly opened the car door and got inside. I sat there as tears streamed down my face. I knew very well that I wanted to be with him but how could I be with him when he was a married man? I saw it in the movies all the time and I always thought it was ridiculous for these single women to chase after married men. Now here I am still in love with Dean when I could have been with him before. Why pursue something that would only hurt us both again and much worse, something that would endanger him? I wiped away my tears and started the car. This was all so confusing. I didn't want to think about it anymore. 

I got back to the office and immediately opened up all my books to go back to studying for the bar. I had to get my mind off of this. I couldn't think about him anymore. 

**[ Dean ] **

After Rory had left I slowly made my way to my car. It killed me inside to know that Rory didn't want to fight for us the way I was willing to risk it all for her. It was true that I was terrified inside but I didn't want to hide from my feelings anymore. I was tired of living a lie, living in a loveless marriage and being dishonest to myself. There was a time when I had believed in love, a time when I knew that a true relationship was one where two people were completely in love with each other. I wanted to be that guy again, to know the meaning of love again. I wanted to start over with Rory but she didn't want to be with me. I felt so alone. 

As I drove back to Stars Hollow and pulled into the driveway of our house I saw Lindsey sitting on the front porch, looking very upset. I stopped the car, taking my time to get out of the car. 

"It has been over an hour!" cried Lindsey as I walked towards her to get inside the house. 

"There was traffic," I said weakly, quickly getting into the house as she followed me. 

"Really?" she asked, skeptically. I took off my jacket and hung it up. 

"Yes, I'm sorry, I tried to get home as fast as I could." I replied quietly. She just stood there and glared at me. 

"Where's the milk?" she asked. That's when I froze and realized I had completely forgotten. 

"I…" I began but she just looked at me in disgust. 

"You fucking liar!" she screamed as she shoved me into the wall. I fell to the floor with a thud. I groaned in pain. 

"Lindsey, I can explain," I pleaded but she didn't listen as she started grabbing random things that were around her and started throwing them at me. 

"Everything you say is a lie!" she cried as she slapped me across the face. I tried to get up from the floor but she kicked me hard in the shins. 

"You were sneaking out with some girl, weren't you?" she screamed, as she pelted the candy dish that was on the table at me. 

"Lindsey…" I cried but she ignored my protests. 

"Why can't you love me the way I love you!" she cried as she took the vase off the table and smashed it, barely missing my head. 

"Lindsey stop," I cried but she had already gotten out the hockey stick that was in the closet and started to hit me. I tried to pull it away from her but she had swung it into my back and I fell face forward on the floor. She started beating my back and I felt like my back was going to break with every strike of the stick. I cried in pain as she aimed for my head. With my last amount of strength I rolled over and she missed. Suddenly she stopped and fell to the floor beside me, out of breath and sobbing profusely. I lay there, too afraid to move. 

"Dean," she cried, trembling. I didn't answer, my own tears pouring down my face. I had to get out of here or else she was going to kill me… 

**[ Rory ] **

"Rory!" cried out a voice. Startled by the cry, I woke up and looked up from the book where I had rested my face. I looked around me and realized I had fallen asleep while studying. I had been so upset last night that I didn't even bother going home. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and brushed my hair away from my face as I looked up at Paris' smirking face. 

"Paris? What time is it?" I asked as I sat up straight in my chair. 

"It's passed noon," she said as she sauntered around my desk and closed my textbook. 

"Really?" I asked, puzzled. 

"You've been here all night," she said then looked at me more carefully. "And practically all day," she added as she examined my messy hair. 

"Obviously," I muttered as I got up and started a pot of coffee. I wasn't in the best mood after what happened last night. 

"Don't bother, we don't have time for that. We have to go now," Said Paris airily as she went over to her desk and snatched up her briefcase. 

"What? Where are we going?" I asked. I mean, how could there be no time for coffee? Suddenly I realized how prim and proper Paris was dressed. She usually dresses all preppy but today she was in a professional looking suit and looked wide-awake and very determined. 

"I left you a message last night," said Paris as she headed towards the door. 

"Paris, I was here all night, I didn't get any message," I said exasperated. 

"I can't spoon-feed you everything!" cried Paris, her eyes blazing. 

"Just tell me what's going on, already!" I cried, wanting to just break down into tears. 

"Well, if you had gotten my message you would have known that we are going to the Pine Valley Senior Citizens Building." She explained. I looked at her skeptically. 

"What for?" I asked, tired of all this. 

"I was at the hospital and I overheard some lawyers saying that's where they get a lot of their clients. See, these old people can't afford to go to the big guys for help so they group up there and lawyers fresh from the bar talk to them and give them legal advice for free. If the case seems good the lawyer can choose to take up the client or not. Simple process." Said Paris as she opened the office door. 

"Paris, I can't go. I'm a mess!" I cried, looking down at my wrinkled pants and t-shirt. 

"Think of the possibilities, cases where clients have been mistreated by their children or stories about the unhygienic conditions of retirement homes." Continued Paris, her eyes shining. 

"You should have made sure I got your message." I exclaimed, irritated. 

"Rory, this could be our big break. There could be millions of cases for us to crack and if we get there early we'll beat out those other nitwits." Replied Paris. 

"Paris, if you have been paying attention you would notice that I look more like a person who has just rolled out of bed than a lawyer." I pointed. 

"I have clothes for you in the car," she said and grabbed my arm. 

"But my coffee!" I cried as she pulled me out the door. 

"We have to go now!" she cried as I quickly followed her to the parking lot. There was no point protesting once Paris called the shots. 

*** 

We walked into the Pine Valley Senior Building around 1:00PM. I had quickly dressed in the navy blazer and matching skirt that Paris handed me as she sped in her Mercedes. I looked at the pale yellow stained walls of the retirement home and at the elderly people who were sitting in the common room watching TV. We walked down the hall until we arrived at a room that looked like the dining hall except the tables were set up in a long row like an assembly line. A few young lawyers were already sitting behind the long tables and setting up their areas. I nervously looked at Paris who was completely confident. We found a spot near the front and sat in the center of the long table. 

"See, there are already some who are here before us, and you wanted coffee" scoffed Paris as she set her briefcase down onto the table. I rolled my eyes as I sat down. 

Slowly some people entered the room and began heading towards some of the lawyers to get some advice on their legal problems. A sweet old lady came towards us and sat across from us. 

"Hello," she said softy as she extended a hand and we both shook it. 

"Hello, I'm Paris Gellar and this is my partner Rory Gilmore." Said Paris, smiling at the elderly woman. She sits down nervously. 

"I'm Bea," she says softly. Paris motions me to start taking notes as she pulls open one of her own folders. 

"Bea, what's your last name?" asked Paris, professionally. 

"Connors. Bea Connors. It's actually Beatrice Connors but everyone just calls me Bea." She replies. I smile and look at her carefully. Bea looked like she was in her mid 70's with her silver hair cut short and in wavy curls. She wore orthopedic looking white sneakers and a pale pink flowered dress. She was thin and looked very fragile. 

"Thank you," I replied. 

"What can we do for you Mrs. Connors?" asked Paris as Bea pulls out a bundle of papers held together by large elastic band. She places it on the table. 

"Oh, I'm in desperate need of help," she says, worried. Paris and I exchange looks as we both noticed the pile of papers. Could this be our big break? Was this the big case we were looking for? 

"Well, we'll do our best to help you Mrs. Connors," said Paris, looking concerned at the woman as she pulls the bundle of papers towards her. 

"What do you need us to do?" I asked sweetly. 

"Could you please help me review and update my will, it's a complete disaster," she said, looking distraught. 

I saw Paris' face drop as the words came out of Bea's mouth. It wasn't a big important case; she just wanted us to help her make up a new draft of her will. I sighed, nothing was going right. Could things possibly get any worse? 

______________________________ 

* Comments and replies would be greatly appreciated 


	7. And I Crawl Back Into Your Arms

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narcoleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 7: And I Crawl Back Into Your Arms 

**[ Dean ] **

I turned over to the nightstand beside my side of the bed and grabbed the clock. It was 12:30PM. I looked over at a peaceful Lindsey who was fast asleep. She was curled up right beside me, her blonde hair angelically swept across her eyes but I knew better to let looks deceive me. Underneath this sweet looking girl was a monster. I sighed as I looked away from her, realizing that I couldn't go on like this; this was the last time I was going to be tortured by her. I carefully tiptoed out of bed, making sure not to disturb Lindsey. I grabbed my jacket off the chair and was about to grab the car keys off the nightstand when Lindsey stirred in her sleep. I quickly left the bedroom, leaving the keys behind as I headed out the front door. As I stepped onto the porch, I slipped into my jacket, biting my lip in pain as the material brushed against the cuts and bruises on my back. The events of last night were still fresh and haunting my mind. 

After Lindsey had calmed down from her murderous rage she had cried, pleading with me to forgive her. She looked so vulnerable and scared that I didn't know what else to do but play along with her. What was I supposed to say? I didn't want to upset her and at the same time, I felt bad for her. I had put an arm around her and told her that everything was going to okay, that all we needed to do was get her help but she just continued to sob even harder into my shirt. Finally we had gone into the bedroom where she continued telling me how much she loved me. Even though I could hear the words, none of them seeped into my mind. I felt numb sitting there beside her on the bed. She continued holding onto me as she cried. I sat there as she coiled herself around me like a serpent. I hadn't said much as I habitually stroked her hair and she wept in my arms. Finally, around 3:00AM she had fallen asleep and I had soon nodded off as well. 

As my feet pounded down the pavement of Stars Hollow, I looked around at the familiar shops and the few people who passed by. The smiles on their faces while the sun was hitting against the windowpanes of the front shops. All this happiness seemed so foreign to me. I could only dream about being that happy again. 

My footsteps had started off being slow and steady as I walked to my unknown destination but soon the small steps grew larger and before I knew it, I was sprinting down the street. My body was aching as I pushed my legs harder. I had no idea where I was going or when I was going to stop running, but I just knew that I had get out of Stars Hollow. 

**[ Rory ] **

I stood at the small refreshment table as I poured myself, what seemed to be my fiftieth cup, of coffee they served at the Pine Valley Senior Building. It was the only thing that was keeping me sane after the horrible day we were having so far. After we had spoken to Bea Connors, a few other elderly people had approached us with their legal problems and things hadn't gotten any better than Bea's will. I had told Paris to call it quits but she had persisted that we stay. She had said that there had to be something good coming around, if we left then we would miss it. 

It had been ridiculous. After Bea had left, an old man had come to us, asking us to help him get custody of a vintage car that he loved dearly, which had been taken by his wife when she left him for another man. He kept on saying how the pink Cadillac was his baby and she had no right taking it away. I thought that Paris was going to blow a fuse but somehow she had kept her cool as a horde of other ridiculous cases were thrust upon us. 

I walked back to our table and sat beside Paris, who was putting some folders into her briefcase, a scowl on her face. 

"Hey Paris, umm… here." I said as I set down a cup of coffee in front of her. 

"No thanks," she said, not looking at me. 

"Maybe we should just call it a day…" I began but Paris shook her head. 

"There's a case here, I just know it." She interrupted, eyeing the other few lawyers who were situated across the room from us. 

"We can always come back tomorrow," I suggested but Paris's gaze whipped from the lawyers to me. 

"Rory, we are not going to admit defeat!" she growled. I backed away from her. 

"It's not defeat, just…" I continued but Paris just glared at me. 

"There's a case here, we just need to be patient." She said. 

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes just as a man walked up to our table. 

"Excuse me," said the elderly man. Quick as lightening, Paris flashed him a wide smile. 

"Yes, how can I help you?" she asked politely, gesturing the man to sit down. As he sat down, Paris looked at me, as if she sensed that this case was _the_ one. 

"Well, it's kind of a complicated matter," he said, scratching his head. Paris nudged my leg from underneath the table. 

"That's what we're here for," said Paris, confidently. The man smiled. 

"All right, first we need your name," I said, as I took out my pen and opened my folder. 

"James Ashford," he replied. I smiled at him as Paris shook his hand. 

"I'm Paris Gellar, and this is Rory Gilmore," said Paris as she leaned forward in her chair. 

"Mr. Ashford, what is the umm… complicated matter that you're having?" I asked casually. Mr. Ashford ran his hand through his silver hair as he answered. 

"It's very complicated and I know that you two young ladies haven't really had much experience…" he began. Paris' eyes widened. 

"Oh, Mr. Ashford, we're very experienced. I know we're competent enough to handle any case," she said, eagerly. 

"All right, well my wife passed away a month ago," he began as he fiddled with the watch on his wrist. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said, looking at him sympathetically. 

"Thank you," he replied, nodding at me. 

"Yes, we're terribly sorry," added Paris as she nodded to him to proceed. 

"See, the problem is that before she died she stated in her will that all our pet cats would receive all of her possessions and she never told me anything about this…" he explained. I looked over at Paris as the vein on her forehead began to throb and her face started to turn about five different shades of red. I closed my eyes, waiting for Paris to explode. I knew that this was going to push her over the edge. Just as expected, Paris sprung forward out of her seat, practically attacking the old man. 

"A will for cats? Don't you people have any real problems?" she screamed, as she tried to grab him by the collar but the frightened man had backed away from her. The entire room had fallen silent at Paris' outburst as workers of the senior citizens' building came rushing towards us, taking Paris by the arms and helping the elderly man. 

"I think you should leave," said the worker sternly to Paris but Paris continued to wriggle in their grasp. 

"No, I will not leave, I have a right to be here!" she cried, her eyes blazing. The workers lifted her off the floor, kicking and screaming as I quickly gathered all our things and followed them out the door. 

"What is wrong with telling the truth? Who leaves all their possessions to their cats?!" she continued rambling but the workers had set her down outside the building and had gone back inside. We stood there alone. I had been embarrassed by Paris' outburst but also very amused by the spectacle. 

"Paris, we're better off without them," I told her as we headed to the car. 

"Oh, this was all a conspiracy!" cried Paris, looking like a mad woman. Her blond hair was a tousled mess and her prim business suit was all wrinkled now. I rubbed my forehead as Paris continued with her theories. 

"They planned it all," she said, looking around suspiciously as she opened the door to her Mercedes. I looked at her and rolled my eyes. 

"What are you talking about?" I asked, getting into the passenger seat. 

"Remember those lawyers at the hospital? They knew I was listening, they knew! So they set up some dialogue, knowing I was eavesdropping and suckered me into going to this stupid place," she exclaimed as she stared the car and we headed back to our office. 

"Paris," I said, exasperated. 

"They made me think that this is where all the cases were so I'd come here," she said, huffily. 

"Don't you think you're reading way to much into this?" I asked, looking over at her. 

"They're lawyers, they're snakes, rats, malicious people. Of course they'd set us up." She rambled. I looked at her, shaking my head. Paris had officially lost her mind. 

*** 

After we had come back to Hartford, I had pleaded with Paris and told her to go home to rest. She wouldn't agree until I promised that we'd figure out some plan to get back at those 'evil' lawyers. I told her that we'd think up a 'plan' tomorrow and then she was content. We had gone to the Gellar residence and then I took a bus to the office. 

As I walked up the steps to the office, I rubbed my temples as I thought about how crazy Paris was becoming. I just hoped that she would forget about this whole conspiracy thing because it was completely absurd. She was just concocting these ideas in her mind just to drive herself even more insane. I opened the door to the dark office and looked at my watch. It was 8:45PM. I took off my coat and hung it up then went over to my desk to continue studying for the bar exam. We were going to write the exam on Saturday, which left us two days to study. I settled into my desk chair and opened the practice test booklets. 

I was pretty confident with myself on this exam. I had studied so much lately that I was beginning to dream about legal terms. The only thing I was worried about was Paris. I just hoped that she would be relaxed on Saturday. 

An hour passed as I reviewed the subjects for the exam when there was knock on the office door. I got up and headed towards the door and opened it. 

"Hi, can I help you?" I asked, looking up at a young man with strawberry blond hair. 

"Rory, right?" he asked, as he walked passed me and straight into the office, not even waiting for my consent. I frowned, looking at him suspiciously. He wandered into the office, amazed by the contents inside. 

"Wow, you're a lawyer." He said, looking around. I followed him, wondering who he was. 

"Umm… excuse me but do I know you?" I asked, ready to grab the phone to call the police. He spun around and faced me. 

"Rory, it's me Todd." He replied, smiling brightly. I squinted and looked at him more carefully. He looked very familiar. 

"Remember, Dean's friend?" he asked. Then I remembered the double date Dean and I had gone on with Lane. I smiled, remembering how strange he was on the date. Then my face dropped at the mention of Dean. 

"Oh, umm… hi Todd." I said, relaxing a little but still curious about why he was here. 

"So you get to go into court and yell at people and stuff, right? Like those movies," he said with a chuckle. 

"I guess so," I said slowly as he examined Paris' desk. 

"Cool," he said. I looked at him awkwardly. 

"Umm… Todd?" I asked and he looked at me. 

"Yeah?" he asked. 

"Umm… what are you doing here?" I asked, playing with my hands. 

"Oh yeah, Dean wanted to see you." He answered then went back to looking at the contents of Paris' desk. 

"What?" I cried, walking towards him. Why did Dean want to see me? I thought I had made it clear last night that we couldn't be together. 

"Yeah," he said as he picked up Paris' paperweight. "This is heavy," he said, laughing, I reached over and grabbed the paperweight out of his hands and set it back down onto Paris' desk. 

"What about Dean?" I asked, eagerly. Even though I didn't want to see Dean, I was curious. Todd looked at me confused. 

"You were saying that he wanted to see me?" I pressed. 

"Yeah, he's at my house." He replied, his mind wandering away. 

"Ok, so you're here because?" I demanded. 

"Oh, Dean told me to tell you to come with me," He said, as he attempted to pick up another object from Paris' desk but I stopped him. I contemplated whether or not I was going to go with him. Ok, so I did still care about Dean but I didn't want him to get hurt anymore. Plus, if I didn't go with Todd then he'd probably never leave the office. I decided to take Todd's information into my own hands. I wanted to know what Dean wanted. I was afraid that he was hurt. 

"Well, then lets go," I proclaimed as I took his arm and grabbed my jacket. 

"Ok," he said, confused. I rolled my eyes as I locked the door of the office and we went into Todd's car. Todd was a very strange guy. 

**[ Dean ] **

I didn't know where else to go except to Todd's place. Lindsey didn't really know him at all and she probably wasn't going to find me here. It was probably the last place she'd ever look. Also, Todd lived right outside of Stars Hollow; it would be more difficult for Lindsey to track me down. 

When I had arrived at Todd's apartment, he had greeted me so cheerfully. I wanted to explain to him my predicament but for some reason I didn't think Todd would fully comprehend me. He was kind of slow but still, he was a great guy. He had whipped out a couple of beers and snacks as we sat on the couch talking about our high school days. He told me I could crash at his place for a while. Later when I asked him to go talk to Rory, he had agreed. I wanted to go see her myself but I just didn't know what to say exactly and I wasn't sure she'd want to see me, so when I told Todd about my situation with Rory, he had suggested that he go to see her. 

Suddenly the apartment door opened and in came Todd with Rory behind him. I slowly got up from the couch and walked towards her. 

"Rory," I said nervously. She looked at me for a second then focused on the apartment. 

"Hi," she said weakly as she carefully maneuvered herself around Todd's messy apartment. 

"Umm, hey," I replied, unsure about what to say to her. Suddenly Todd turned on the TV and pushed between us to get to the couch. 

"My favourite movie's on!" he exclaimed as he sat down on the couch, completely oblivious of us. Beethoven the dog appeared on screen and Todd started to howl with laughter. 

"Lets go in here to talk," I suggested as I took Rory's hand and led her to Todd's bedroom. She hesitantly followed. As I shut the door behind me, Rory took off her coat and brushed off some clothes that were on Todd's bed so that she could sit down. 

"He sure loves Beethoven," said Rory, with a nervous laugh. I chuckled. 

"Yeah," I replied as I sat down beside her. We just looked at each other then she looked away. 

"So," she said, looking around the messy room. 

"Rory, I need to talk to you," I said softly. She turned her attention back to me. 

"About what?" she asked. 

"About us, about this whole situation," I explained but Rory shook her head. 

"Dean, we already talked about this," she said. 

"Rory, I want to be with you. You were right, I should have done what you told me to do in the first place. She doesn't love me, because how can someone hurt a person they love?" I said. Rory looked at me, sadly. 

"I don't know," she replied, biting her lower lip. 

"I don't want to be with her," I said. Rory looked away from me. 

"Dean, this is just not right," she protested. 

"Rory, look me in the eyes and tell me you don't care," I challenged her. She hesitantly looked at me. 

"I- I don't…" she tried to say but she quickly turned away from me. 

"I know it's hard but you have to give us a chance, give us another chance." I pleaded, turning her face so that she would look me in the eyes. 

"I want to but…" she started, her voice sounding as if were going to disappear. She tried to move away from me but I took hold of her arm. 

"I don't love her," I whispered. Rory closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

"But she'll hurt you," she disputed. 

"I won't let her anymore, I've got to fight this. We need to fight this," I said, holding back tears. Rory leaned over and hugged me tenderly. As we pulled apart, her face gently brushed mine, our gazes locked. She looked into my eyes and then slowly, she kissed me softly. I wrapped my arms around her small body and deepened the kiss. As she gently pushed me down onto the bed I winced as I lay there. She pulled away from me. 

**[ Rory ] **

I had finally given into him again. I knew that I had wanted to be with him the moment I had stepped into Todd's apartment but I had to try to fit my temptation. I tried to deny my feelings for him because I wanted to protect him but I knew I couldn't. Just hearing him say that he didn't love her anymore made my heart soar. I felt like a sudden release had surged through me. When our lips touched it was electricity running through my body again. But when I had heard him whimper in pain and I had to pull away from him. 

"Dean?" I whispered, as I looked at him with concern. 

"It's nothing," he replied but I didn't believe him as I quickly pulled myself off of him. I looked at his pained face. Something was hurting him. I slowly tugged onto the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, over and off of his head and turned him over to examine his back, as the shirt fell to the floor. 

"Oh my gosh, " I gasped as I saw the bruises and the cuts on his back. The purple-blue streaks that were across his back made it look like he had been stricken by something hard. I bit my lower lip, as horrible images traveled through my mind. I wanted to cry for him. 

"Don't tell me she…" I said in horror. He nodded. I shook my head in disgust as I gently touched his bareback. I looked at the marks and cuts, thinking about how much they hurt him. 

"Dean, I don't want you to get hurt anymore," I whispered, looking at him sadly. 

"That's why I need you now. I need you to get through this," he whispered, sitting up. I sat there beside him, wondering what we could do. 

"You need to get a divorce," I said without hesitation. 

"I'll do anything it takes," he replied, looking at me with a heartbreaking expression. I stroked his hand. 

"Don't worry, I'll help you." I assured him. He nodded. 

"Well, you certainly can't give her the divorce papers yourself, you'll have to get someone to deliver the papers in a public place so that she can't really freak out." I told him as I got up from the bed and started pacing. 

"At the Chat Club, where she works I guess." He said, looking at his hands uncomfortably. 

"Yeah, I mean the more people the better," I said. " And umm… do you have a place to stay for now?" I asked, looking at him with concern. 

"I'm staying here with Todd. Lindsey doesn't really know him." He explained. 

"Good, we have to make sure that she doesn't find you." I advised him. He had a sad look on his face, as he nodded. 

Suddenly the door opened and Todd came bursting in. 

"You guys, the best part is coming up!" cried Todd, excitedly when he stopped and noticed Dean sitting on the bed without his shirt on. 

"Oh, sorry. You guys were getting it on…" he said with a grin and then shut the door. Dean and I were silent then we looked at each other. We had blank expressions on our faces but suddenly we both bursted out laughing. Dean reached down to the foot of the bed and picked up his shirt from the floor and put it back on. 

"Umm, Rory?" he asked. I moved towards him and sat down beside him on the bed again. 

"Yeah?" I replied. 

"Thanks," he said, as he smiled warmly at me.  


__________________________ 

* Comments and replies would be greatly appreciated 


	8. Nothing Left to Say

Title: Save Me 

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick 

Couple: Rory and Dean 

Rating: PG-13 

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and is loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic, it's my first Narcoleptics fic so please be kind. 

Chapter 8: Nothing Left To Say 

**[ Rory ] **

It was Fridaymorning, 10:35AM and I was sitting behind my desk at the office as usual, getting in a little more studying until tomorrow's exam. I flipped through my heavy textbook, but my mind kept wandering off to other things, I couldn't fully concentrate. I sighed as my thoughts went back to the events of the night before. After Todd had interrupted us, Dean and I had just completely avoided going back to the topic of his divorce. We had talked about other things such as movies and books, and then we had joined Todd for the end of _Beethoven_. 

During the movie, I kept looking at Dean, trying to see exactly how he felt about this divorce. I felt so bad for him, I knew it was a hard decision but it was the right one. There were countless reasons why he needed to get out of this marriage: the unhappiness, the abuse... But deep inside of me, I felt a little selfish because I knew I had my own reason for him to get a divorce… 

Suddenly the office door busted open and in stormed Paris, breaking the peaceful silence that had encompassed the room. I looked up, startled as Paris set her briefcase down onto her desk with the usual slam. 

"Hey Paris," I said carefully as she turned around to face me. I wasn't sure if she was in a mad mood or not. 

"Rory," she said with a nod. Then I noticed the twinkle in her eyes and I knew she was up to something. "What are you doing?" she asked. 

"Just trying to get a little more studying done. So… what's new with you?" I asked curiously as her eyes danced across the room. 

"Oh, I just did some more investigation," she said nonchalantly. My brow furrowed as I got up from my desk. 

"What, did you find more clients?" I asked, half-jokingly. 

"Well, I think I've come up with a way for us to get more clients and pay some people back for their little hoax." She said, determination on her face. 

"What?" I cried, worried. "I thought we already talked about this, Paris. Lets just forget about the senior's home, ok? I mean maybe we just had higher expectations about what kind of clients we would find there. I don't think anyone was trying to set us up." I said, trying to get her to forget about the incident from the day before, 

"Come on, stop being blind Rory! We're talking about Ivy League lawyers, they're ruthless, and they'll go to any lengths to get competitors out of the game!" cried Paris, pointedly. 

"Paris, don't you think you're being a little bit paranoid?" I asked, rolling my eyes. 

"Don't you remember law school at all? People were hiding books and study material to make sure others failed. This is the real world Rory, not your little small town competitions about people hiding recipe secrets for some bake-off. People in the real world play dirty!" cried Paris as she opened her briefcase and pulled out a folder. 

"Paris," I pleaded, as I followed her to her desk. 

"Look, I've compiled a list of students in our class who could have disguised themselves to pull this stunt. I mean, when I was listening in at the hospital I didn't really pay attention to faces but maybe by refreshing my memory on these students I may find the culprit." She explained as she flipped open the folder. Inside were pages of student profiles, including photos and personal information. 

"Oh my gosh, where did you get all of these?" I cried as I picked up one of the profiles. There were headings titled strengths/weaknesses and personal tidbits. "Isn't this illegal?" I asked, looking at her in disbelief. "We're going into people's personal life!" 

"We're doing this for a good cause, and if those people didn't want us to pry into their personal information they shouldn't have tried to sabotage us in the first place. And I told you, I have my sources for this information." She replied as I shuffled through a few more profiles, shaking my head. 

"Look Rory, this way, we can really narrow down the suspects. I've already narrowed down my list." She said proudly as she took out a few pieces of paper from the back of the folder. I closed my eyes and sighed. 

"Freddy Vaughn. Attended Harvard Law for his first year, then transferred to Yale. He was in most of my classes. Sat behind me in Criminal Litigation 101. Always had this homicidal look on his face, and once he argued with me about proper defendant questioning. Never liked the guy." She said with a huff. I rolled my eyes. 

"I don't think he should be a suspect just because he argued with you. From what I remember he was usually pretty quiet." I pointed. 

"Oh, it's the quiet ones that you should be careful with." Said Paris, knowingly. I shook my head again, there was no point trying to reason with Paris. 

"So what are you going to do once you've figured out your culprit?" I asked, as I headed back to my own desk. 

"Seeing as how they tried to sabotage us from getting clients, I think I'll do the same to them…" trailed Paris, a malicious look on her face. 

"You know what? I don't want to know anymore." I said as returned to my studying. 

**[ Dean ]**

I sat at the kitchen table in Todd's apartment, eating the scrambled eggs and toast that I had just finished making. I looked at the cramped kitchen with the dirty walls. _Well, it was going to be home for now,_ I thought as I took a bite of toast. Just then, Todd entered the kitchen, his hair a mess and his clothes all rumpled. 

"Dean, why are you up so early?" he yawned as he walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk and started drinking from it. 

"Uh, it's almost 11:00AM," I said, with a laugh as Todd set the carton onto the table and then pulled out a can of root beer. 

"Yeah, it's so early," he said, as he sat down and drank from the can. I shook my head and laughed. 

"So, what time do you usually wake up?" I asked as I wiped my mouth with my napkin. 

"The earliest is usually 1:00PM. I don't know how people can wake up earlier than that." He said pondering over the idea then chuckled to himself. 

"I guess they have to go to work," I said, trying not to burst into laughter as I watched him looking intently at his pop can. 

"Oh yeah, I guess they do." 

"Don't you work?" I asked. "I mean you must work to pay the rent for this place." 

"Yeah, at the gas station. I usually take care of the night or the evening shift." He said proudly. 

"I guess you're a night owl then," 

"Uh, yeah…" he said confused but then he started laughing. I looked at him and couldn't help but smile. It must be interesting being Todd. 

"So, do you want anything to eat? I could make you eggs," I offered as I finished my breakfast. 

"It's ok, dude, I'll just have some Count Chocula," he replied as he went over to the cupboard and took the cereal box out and started eating from it. 

I smiled and stood up to put my dishes into the sink when the phone rang. 

"I'll get it," said Todd with his mouthful as he went into the living room to pick up the phone. I started to wash the few dishes that were in the sink. 

"Hello?" said Todd from the living room as he stuffed more cereal into his mouth. "What? Who is this? Oh, Dean? How can you be Dean when Dean's in the kitchen? Oh…" Todd walked back into the kitchen and handed me the phone. 

"It's for you, uh, Rory?" he said, looking confused. I dried my hands and took the phone, looking at Todd bizarrely. 

"Umm, hi," I said into the phone as I walked into the living room and sat on the couch. 

"Wow, is Todd more confused then he was last night?" joked Rory. 

"Yeah, apparently he thought you were me," I replied with a chuckle. 

"Is my voice that low? I told him that I wanted to talk to you. I don't think he even remembers me and I just saw him last night," she replied with a laugh. 

"That's Todd for you. I'm sure it'll come back to him soon enough. He just woke up," I assured her, stifling another laugh. 

"So, I'm calling because…" she started. 

"Because?" 

"Because of the divorce papers," she finally blurted out. "We need to talk about how we're delivering them and about all that paperwork and stuff." She continued, uncomfortably. 

"Yeah," I said, suddenly feeling nauseous at the mention of the divorce. 

"So, umm, could you come to the office so we can discuss it?" she asked. 

"Sure, yeah, I'll be there soon." 

"Ok, see you then. Bye." She replied then hung up. 

I pressed the 'end' button on the phone and set it down on the coffee table as I got up from the couch. I took in a deep breath as I sat there staring blankly at the television that was in front of me. I knew that I was the one who had brought up the idea about a divorce last night but now it had finally dawned on me that I was really going to go through with this. I knew that this was the right thing to do if I wanted to be free but still, I felt sick to my stomach thinking about how dreadful the process was going to be to achieve my freedom. I was so scared about how Lindsey was going to react and somehow I felt like I was committing a crime. Didn't I vow, _'til death do us part_, on our wedding day? Of course my reasons for this divorce were justified but somehow I felt that I was partly to blame for Lindsey's actions. There had been many days before where I would ponder about this and I had always come to the conclusion that I was not a fault but now with Rory in the picture… 

"Todd," I called out from the couch. Swiftly, he appeared at the doorway of the living room that connected to the kitchen. 

"What's up?" he asked. 

"Can I borrow your car?" I asked. 

**[ Rory ] **

It felt weird that we were going to draft Dean's divorce papers. I mean I can't practice law until I write and pass tomorrow's bar exam but still, technically this was going to be my first real case. I paced across the office as I waited for Dean to show up. 

"Stop pacing, you're giving me a headache!" cried Paris from her desk. 

"Sorry," I replied, as I stopped and stood in the middle of the room, playing with the hem of my blouse. 

"This isn't such a big deal, you know. We're only delivering the paperwork now, it's later when you should be really nervous." Said Paris curtly. I looked over at her and walked towards her desk. 

"Hey Paris, umm, thanks for agreeing to help me with this," I said. She looked up at me and smiled for a second then her face went seriously. 

"Well, it is Gellar & Gilmore," she said, indifferently. But I smiled, knowing that I could count on her. 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and I quickly went to open it. Dean entered the office. 

"Hi," I said with a nod. 

"Hi," he replied, avoiding my eyes, and then he saw Paris behind her desk. "Hey Paris," 

"Dean," said Paris briskly. 

"So, did you borrow Todd's car?" I asked, not knowing what to say as I looked around, nervously. 

"Oh, Todd drove. Uh, he's parking the car, he should be here soon," said Dean, running his fingers through his hair as he shifted his feet. Shortly, Todd appeared at the door, looking confused. 

"Uh, I kind of ran into this other car… It's a totally hot car too, black Mercedes, dude," he said half laughing, half bemused. Suddenly Paris' eyes perked up. 

"Did you say black Mercedes?" she cried, looking at Todd. 

"Uh, yeah" he said, smiling. 

"Where was it?" she demanded, glaring at him. 

"Outside?" he replied, looking unsure. 

"Oh my gosh, my car!" she cried, grabbing her purse off of her desk. Todd watched, unsure about what he'd done. 

"You better pray that it's not my car!" she threatened as she pulled Todd's shirtsleeve and dragged him out of the office. 

"Wow, she's scary," said Todd to Dean and me as he disappeared through the door. 

Dean and I were left standing there alone in the office. 

"I hope for his sake that it isn't her car," I said, looking at the still open door. 

"Yeah," said Dean, nodding. He stared at the floor looking like he had a lot on his mind. We stood there awkwardly until I broke the silence. 

"So, what's on your mind?" I asked casually. He glanced at me for a second then drew his gaze to his hands. 

"The things I said last night…" he murmured, looking frustrated. 

"Oh," I said, unsure what to say. 

"You know, this has been really weird," he finally confessed as he sat down on the edge of Paris' desk. He looked like he was going to break down. I followed and sat down beside him. 

"I know, it's been so… abrupt," I said, thinking about how close we were becoming. I knew how he felt; I was frustrated about us too. I never thought that we'd be in a situation like this much less see each other again. I cared about him and the last few days, weeks had been so intense between us. Especially under the circumstances, I could see how it was weird because I felt weird about it too. 

"Yeah, it has. I mean, it's been going on for such a long time that it's been hard for me," he continued, looking at his hands again. I looked at him, surprised that he had said that. 

"Really?" I asked, looking at him with concern. I hadn't known that he felt this way about me for so long. My heart softened. 

"But I guess, sometimes you just have to let go," he said with a sniffle. I nodded, knowing that I had let go of my feelings as well. I had given in. 

"I feel the same, I mean this thing between us is so surreal and I know it's weird but…" I professed openly but stopped when I saw the look of confusion on his face. 

"What are you talk…Oh… I was talking about…" he trailed off and then I realized that he hadn't been talking about our relationship but about his marriage and soon to be divorce to Lindsey. He had been explaining his feelings about what he was going through with this divorce. I felt like kicking myself for not realizing what he must be going through. I blushed and looked away from him. 

"Rory, I…" he began. I slid myself further away from him. 

"It's ok, Dean." I replied, trying to hide my embarrassment. 

"No, I'm sor…" he began but was interrupted when Todd and Paris came back into the office. Dean looked at me apologetically. 

"You idiot! How could you have not seen my car? That wasn't a little bump, you practically plowed into my car!" cried Paris, pointing at Todd as they stood in the middle of the office. 

"Wow, chill out," said Todd, backing away from Paris. I slid off the desk and stood beside Paris. 

"What happened?" I asked her. Paris looked at me then pointed at Todd. 

"This bozo here, completely dented my bumper!" cried Paris. 

"What's the big deal? I bumped into your bumper… hehehe, that's kind of funny," said Todd as he started laughing to himself. Paris glared at him. 

"You think this is funny? That's a Mercedes!" she cried. 

"I said that I was sorry," said Todd. Paris crossed her arms across her chest. 

"Paris, relax ok? I'm sure Todd will pay for part of the repair," I said, trying to calm her down. I looked at Todd and he nodded. 

"I could even fix it myself," he offered. 

"No!" retorted Paris, as she glowered at him. 

"Ok, ok, can we sort that out later?" I cried, irritated. I wanted to get all this over with now, I felt so awkward with Dean now. I really didn't want to be here anymore. Why did I agree to work on this case? 

"Fine," said Paris, hesitantly. 

**[ Dean ] **

I got off of Paris's desk and sat on the chair in front of Rory's desk as Paris began explaining to me about the divorce papers. I felt so bad about the confusion that Rory and I had before. I didn't know she was talking about us. I was just so wrapped up in this whole divorce mess that I wasn't thinking clearly. I knew that she was kind of upset about it. 

"So, this can work out pretty smoothly. We just have to get everything done correctly. First, someone will have to go to Lindsey's work place and deliver the papers. Because it's a public establishment, she'll less likely go homicidal in front of everyone," said Paris bluntly. I saw Rory shoot her a look at her unsympathetic words. 

"What if she does breakdown in front of everyone?" I asked, worried. Rory looked at me. 

"Well, that works in favor of your defense." Said Paris, pondering over the idea. "Hmm, lets hope she does go insane, it'll just be more proof for you," she continued, nodding her head positively. 

"Paris!" cried Rory, shooting her another look. 

"What? I'm just thinking about a scenario that could only be positive for our client," pointed Paris as she picked up the divorce papers. 

"Well, you could be a little less cruel about it," muttered Rory, frowning. Paris ignored Rory's comment and continued. 

"Ok, so it's noon now, we should deliver the papers today, preferably now," said Paris, looking at me. 

"Umm, Lindsey should be at the Chat Club now," I replied softly, staring at the ground. I sat there still thinking about how Lindsey was going to react to this confrontation. And to be completely honest, I had no idea how she was going to take it. I mean, I had seen her go completely insane with rage over mediocre things, but I've also seen her act indifferent about other things and then wait until she got home to let go of her anger in private. I just didn't know how she was going to take it this time. I sighed. There was a time where I could read her and just know how she felt about certain things but now; it was like she was a stranger. I didn't know her; I didn't know her at all. 

"Good, so who's in charge of delivering the papers?" asked Paris. 

"I am," said Todd, stepping up towards her. Paris looked flabbergasted. 

"What? You?" asked Paris in disbelief. 

"Yeah," he said with a shrug. 

"No, you can't deliver the papers, you'll probably ram into the shop before getting out!" protested Paris, taking the papers away from Todd. 

"Paris," said Rory exasperated, putting a hand to her forehead. 

"Dean is my client too, and I want to make sure this is done correctly." Said Paris, looking at me. 

"Well, if you say so," I said rubbing my eyes. Right now, I really didn't care how we delivered the papers; I just wanted this to end. 

"Good, then it's settled. I'll deliver the papers," affirmed Paris as she took the papers and quickly went to her desk and put them into her briefcase. 

"Paris, do you think that's such a good idea?" asked Rory, following her. 

"Rory, it makes perfect sense that Dean's attorney presents his wife with the papers," said Paris as she headed for the door. 

"I guess so, but just don't say anything, ok?" pleaded Rory. 

"What do you mean?" asked Paris, frowning. 

"I just mean, don't upset her, ok?" replied Rory. I got up from the chair and followed Paris. 

"I want to come too," I announced. The two girls looked up at me in surprise. 

"Dean, are you sure?" asked Rory softly with concern. 

"You might endanger yourself," said Paris, looking slightly worried. 

"I'll stay in the car, I just…" I said, unable to say the words. For some reason, I felt like it was the right thing to do. I needed to see this, be there when it all happened. 

"Ok," said Rory gently, as she nodded. 

We all walked out of the office as Rory locked the door behind her. Todd had gone in his own car while I sat in the back seat of Paris' Mercedes with Rory in the passenger seat. I looked out the window as we drove in silence to Stars Hollow. I thought about all I had gone through for the last few years from the time Lindsey and I first started going out. The happy times, the sad, the misery. It was finally all going to end. As relieved as I was that I wasn't going to suffer physically any longer, I was still suffering emotionally. I never wanted things to end this way; I never thought it was going to end this way. But this was for the best. I glanced over at Rory who was looking intently straight ahead. And hopefully now, I could start over. 

**[ Rory ] **

The silence was almost unbearable as we arrived in Stars Hollow. Dean hadn't said a word the whole drive and I didn't blame him. I knew how difficult it was for him and how hard he was taking it. I knew that because he was Dean he felt awful about doing this to Lindsey. No matter how many horrible things Lindsey might have done to him, he still had a heart and was concerned about her. 

Paris parked the car not too far from the Chat Club. Far enough not to be noticed but close enough for us to see people who stood near the front of the shop. From where we sat I could see Lindsey standing behind the cash register of the shop. I looked at Paris who turned off the engine and was now reaching for her briefcase. 

"So, which one's Lindsey?" asked Paris, scanning the inside of the shop. 

"The girl at the register," I replied, gesturing my head to the front desk. 

"Well, it's now or never," said Paris, as she looked at Dean then turned to me. She opened the door to get up but I quickly took hold of her arm. I 

"I'm coming too," I said quickly. Dean hastily looked up. 

"Rory, no," he protested as I undid my seat belt and opened the passenger door. 

"Rory, he's right," cautioned Paris as she looked over to me across the roof of the car. 

"I won't come in, I just…" I started. I wanted to come just to make sure Paris wasn't going to say anything to provoke Lindsey. 

"Rory, if Lindsey sees you…" pleaded Dean from the car. I poked my head back into the car and looked at him. 

"Don't worry, okay?" I assured him then I shut the door as Paris crossed the street and headed for the Chat Club. I slowly followed from behind and watched as Paris went through the open the door. I quickly hid by a tree and payphone right outside the shop. I watched as Paris casually perused the aisles of the store and carelessly picked up random items, keeping her eye on Lindsey. She was waiting for the right moment to approach Lindsey since there were paying customers at the register. Once the customers had paid for their purchases and exited the door, Paris swiftly walked up to the register and set her briefcase down onto the floor beside her. 

"Hi, how can I help you?" asked Lindsey, smiling brightly at Paris. Paris looked at her without a smile on her face. 

"Are you Lindsey Forester?" she asked solemnly as she bent down and pulled the papers out of her briefcase. 

"Yes, I am, " replied Lindsey, looking at her curiously. 

"This is for you," said Paris as she firmly handed Lindsey the divorce papers. Lindsey looked at them bewildered as she looked over them trying to figure out what they were. 

"You've been officially served," said Paris briskly as she picked up her briefcase and strode out of the shop, as Lindsey finally comprehended the contents in her hands. I watched as the Lindsey's face fell and her hands shook as she read the papers, letting the words seep into her mind. I slowly headed towards the car and my heart pounded as Lindsey suddenly bursted out in tears and then she collapsed to the floor, clutching to the papers in her arms. Suddenly other people who had been in the shop ran to her side on the floor. I couldn't look anymore as I sprinted to the car and sat in the passenger seat. 

__________________________ 

* Comments and replies would be greatly appreciated 


	9. Return to Normal

Title: Save Me

Author: Cathy aka kyleschick

Couple: Rory and Dean

Summary: It's a new beginning for Rory as she and Paris open their own law firm. Rory begins to deal with this career change, Paris' nerve-wrecking antics and the complications when she gets her first case. Meanwhile, Dean finds himself coming to terms with a secret he's been ashamed of since we last saw him in Stars Hollow. How does he cope? Narcoleptics.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gilmore Girls nor do I own John Grisham's _The Rainmaker._

Author's Note: This fanfic was really influenced and loosely based on the novel _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham and the song _Amsterdam _by Coldplay. Hope you guys like the fic; it's my first Narcoleptics fic so please be kind.

Chapter 9: Return to Normal

**[ Dean **

Just thinking about the pained look on Lindsey's face was almost unbearable. I knew I had hurt her but I also knew this was the right thing to do. It was time to let go of our marriage since there was nothing left to hold on to.

As Paris started the car and headed back to Gellar & Gilmore, I avoided looking at Rory. I couldn't look at her because seeing her face would just a remind me of the guilty feeling I felt right then. No matter how hard I tried to tell myself that what Lindsey had done was wrong, wasn't I just as horrible for harbouring feelings for Rory? Sure, Rory and I had only recently reconnected and nothing serious had happened between us, but I knew deep down I wanted more with Rory and that feeling of guilt wasn't going away.

It was 1:35PM when we arrived back in Hartford. I quickly got out of the car and thanked Paris for the ride and for everything.

"Umm, so that's all for today, right? You don't want me to go over anything with you now, do you?" I asked as Paris emerged from the car.

"That's all for now Dean. We'll discuss the details later." Said Paris firmly as she shut the door and walked up to the office door.

"Yeah, umm, I'll see you later," said Rory hesitantly. I finally looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah," I whispered and quickly ran to Todd's car, parked across the street.

**[ Rory **

My heart sank as Dean sprinted away from me. I knew it was awkward but it still hurt. I quickly followed Paris back into the office to resume studying for tomorrow's bar exam.

"Aww, no kiss goodbye?" asked Paris, sarcastically as I hung up my coat and walked over to my desk.

"Paris," I said irritated.

"Well, I thought you'd be happy about this divorce. Now you can pick up where you guys left off and conclude your perfect love story," she said hauntingly.

"Can we not talk about this?" I snapped, irritated as I opened my textbooks.

"Fine, be in denial." She said briskly as she continued with her studying.

After 7 hours of studying, I knew that I couldn't study anymore. I had been studying for weeks now and there wasn't much more I could do. I looked at the clock on the wall; it was a little passed 8:30PM.

"I can't study anymore," I declared as I got up and started to pack my books away. I looked over at Paris who was still concentrating very hard. "Hey Paris, maybe you should stop too. You've been studying a lot lately." I suggested.

"You can never study enough for the bar, Rory! Think of the competition. There are thousands of applicants and they're not going to make it easy for us. They're not going to let in any idiot who can memorize and regurgitate facts. No, they're going to be throwing curve balls left and right. I'm going through every last detail again." she said.

"Well, you can study all you want but I'm going to take a break, get something to eat and then get a good night's rest!" I said, slinging my bag over and shoulder and taking out my car keys.

"Fine, but if you get stuck on a question or get even the slightest feeling of uncertainty about an answer, don't say I didn't warn you!" she hollered over her shoulder.

I rolled my eyes as I closed the door behind me and headed towards the Jeep. As I got into the car, I started thinking back on the day's events. I couldn't help but think about how hard this whole situation was on Dean right now. Having to deal with his emotions. Despite the rocky side of their marriage, there had been love in there somewhere. And now with our feelings for each together resurfacing, I wasn't making things any easier for him.

As I drove home, I saw the exit that would lead me to Todd's place and hastily got off the highway and headed towards Todd's place. I knew what Dean needed right now was me out of the mix. He had so many things to think about, he shouldn't have to deal with me too. Not right now anyway. I had to get things out in the open and tell him that any feelings between us had to stop right now. I had to be professional; we had a case to work on and we all needed to keep our focuses on it.

I parked the my car across the street from Todd's apartment and mustered up all the confidence I had to tell Dean that we had to halt any feelings that were building inside us. There were more important things to think about right now.

I reached the door to Todd's apartment and let out a deep breath. I knocked on the door. I could hear footsteps heading towards the door as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. It was only going to take a minute to tell him what I thought, and then I could go back home and rest for the bar tomorrow.

The door opened and Dean appeared at the doorway. Suddenly all thoughts of what I had planned to say and the bar fled my mind. Dean stood there, his hair still wet from a recent shower, wearing nothing but a pair of silky, dark green boxers. I felt my mouth drop as I took in his tall frame and strong muscled chest.

Without even thinking, I stepped forward and fell into his arms. He looked at me surprised, but before he could utter a word, I kissed him with all the passion I had. One hand explored the smoothness of his back as the other tangled itself in his damp hair. My right foot moved back and nudged the door shut as we kissed.

We moved slowly towards the living room and kissed until we were breathless. I took in his fresh clean scent and felt my heart quicken. Finally, he gently pulled us apart and his questioning eyes searched mine for an answer.

"Rory, is this what you want?" he asked, looking at me attentively.

I knew that my mission tonight had been to stop anything from happening between us but now I knew I couldn't deny my feelings for him any longer.

"I want to be with you, Dean. I know how I treated you in the past, the way I dealt with things but everything's changed now. I think we both needed time to grow up and now I know that you're the one I want, the one I want to be with." I said, with all my heart.

He looked at me with so much love and happiness in his eyes. In that moment, I knew he understood how I felt. He cupped my face, lowering his lips to mine and kissed me tenderly, pulling back to look me in the eyes.

"Then it's going to be you and me," he whispered, his eyes warm with love.

"You and me," I whispered back as I brushed my lips against his.

**[Dean**

We moved towards my bedroom, our bodies fused as we continued to kiss. I could feel the warm sensation of our close contact running through my body as she kissed my neck. We stood beside the bed and I looked her in the eyes to see if she wanted to continue. She responded by leaving a trail of kisses down my bare chest.

I carefully lowered her onto the bed as she slipped out of her jacket and threw it on the floor. She pulled me down onto her, her kisses becoming more hungry and eager as I began to unbutton her blouse. She sat up as I pulled off her blouse and skirt, adding it to the jacket, forming a small pile on the floor.

I rested my forehead against hers as we both slowed down to catch our breaths. I pulled her closer to me as I reached behind, to her smooth back and unhooked her bra and slowly took it off of her, our underwears the only things left on our bodies. I took in the beautiful sight of her bare flesh and kissed the soft skin of her stomach.

I moved over to the nightstand and pulled a condom out of the top drawer as she took off her panties. As I torn the small package, she lowered my boxers and slipped the condom onto me. She lay down and pulled me down again on top of her as we kissed passionately, any troubles we had during the day melting away. I ran my fingers through her soft hair as she blew soft kisses on my neck, one hand exploring my chest, the other gripping onto me tighter.

I looked her deeply in the eyes, seeing so much love in them as I lowered myself inside of her and our bodies moved rhythmically. Sweat trickled down our bodies as she dug her fingernails into my back. Our bodies so close together that I couldn't tell where hers ended and mine began. The gasps that escaped our lips were the only sounds that could be heard in the room as we rode out our passion until the end.


End file.
